The Wolf Queen
by Winter1112
Summary: Weiss Schnee has survived the fall of the SDC, the breaking of her heart, and so much more. But when Ruby Rose walks through the door of her tattoo parlor, she never expected her life to change so much in that one fateful moment.
1. Chapter 1

Every day begins in mostly the same way. First is a shower. The scalding hot water flows over her tattooed skin as if she were trying to cleanse herself of the memories that refuse to leave her. She had been eighteen when her father had taken her back to Atlas. She had shrieked and howled like a common dog as his high-priced security guards had dragged her away to be collared and tamed once more. To force her to surrender the freedom she once cherished every bit as much as the wonderful friends she made. As much as she cherished and loved a certain silver eyed reaper.

She takes her time drying her long silky midnight black hair, being especially careful around her wolf's ears. She winces in pain whenever she runs the towel near the base of them. She feels the horrid scars from the constant pulling on them she endured from her father during her captivity, and a slight growl slips gently from her lips. He had collared her like a common house pet, and the damned thing had shocked the shit out of her at random times just for his amusement. To her eternal regret, she wishes her long lost sister had survived the abuse. What she wouldn't give to have her back. For twenty years now, it has felt like a hole in her heart that once held her beloved twin.

But Willow Noir Schnee had proven to be a godsend in death. While she was in hiding, she had the bright idea to copy her twin's midnight black hair color for her own ears, tail and ivory hair. Noir had never been allowed out of the Schnee Manor her entire life, since she was a harsh reminder that Jacques was not a Schnee, but married into the family. Her only sins were being born with his black hair and ruby red eyes, and she had suffered greatly for it. But she was defiant to the end, even as Jacques beat her to death in his private office, while she herself screamed in all the pain and suffering Noir would not give him the satisfaction of seeing or hearing. It would be a void that wouldn't be filled for years until she met a certain silver eyed Reaper at Beacon.

She sighs as she slips on a pair of baggy carpenter jeans that can fit her tail and a tank top next, not bothering with a bra or panties anymore. Who does she have to impress? Certainly not her father. When news of the atrocities at his mines were verified by the press, the scandal had ripped the SDC apart. Winter had gotten dragged into it, and brought down along with Jacques Schnee, and the scandal even rocked the Atlas Military. But Weiss was nowhere to be found.

Looking into the mirror again, she starts by applying her makeup slowly and carefully. She ignores the scar that runs along her left eye for now. She has a solution for it after so many years. Ruby had always lavished attention on it back at Beacon, during the early morning hours when Yang and Blake would still be asleep. But that was before the fall. Before Pyrrha had been killed. Back when she had her freedom. And now she has her freedom back, but the cost had been high.

Taking a stick of makeup putty, she begins to roll it between her hands to flatten it a bit. Applying it takes her no time at all now, not after ten years of practice. Not like after Ruby and the rest of team RNJR rescued her from Atlas. Then, she had been weak, emaciated from lack of food and sleep. She could barely even use her Glyphs without exhausting herself, and forget summoning. She could barely hold the glyph for it without passing out. So it was no surprise that Ruby started to distance herself from her, and spending more time with Jaune. Weiss couldn't blame her. She was just a worthless animal after all. So one night, after everyone had gone to sleep except for her and Nora, she had slipped off into the night. Nora had wished her well, and gave her some of her own supplies. Nora understood. Even Nora had seen the difference in how Ruby had been treating her. Nora at least is still alive and helping to quell the Grimm in Atlas. And now? She doubted she could hold a glyph for even a second. She barely even used her aura for anything more than healing minor scrapes or cuts. It's all it's good for now.

All done with her makeup, she slips in a pair of color changing contacts, turning her ice blue eyes a light green color. The eye color change had been suggested by Aeon and his wife Mel, during the downfall of the SDC. They had found her on the streets of Mistral City, shivering and yet burning up with a fever. She had no idea how long she had been living in the alley near their tattoo parlor, living off of refuse and handouts and struggling just to survive. But fate had something different in mind for the dying former heiress. Mel had been the one to hear her panting when she was burning up, and Aeon had carried her back to their home, a small two bedroom apartment they lived in over their shop. The massive bear Faunus and petite fox Faunus had taken their time, nursing her back to health. From the very brink of death itself.

Walking out into her shop proper from the small bedroom she keeps in the back, she starts wiping down the table she uses to do her work, making sure that everything is nice and neat. She prides herself on passing her health inspections with flying colors, and she refuses to slack now. Aeon had taught her that when he started teaching her how to tattoo. She had been despondent as she recovered, and had taken to sketching to pass the time. Mel had seen some of her sketches and shown them to the self proclaimed teddy bear, who insisted on teaching her his trade. To her surprise, she had taken to it rather easily. She found it to be peaceful as she learned the ins and outs of tattooing, along with the tearing down and rebuilding of the guns used to render ink to skin, the best ways to keep her work environment clean, even the best ways to pierce skin carefully to attach jewelry while causing little to no bleeding. Aeon and Mel had been proud of the progress she made in such a short time, and for the first time since she entered Beacon, she felt like her life had a purpose again.

Turning on her coffee machine, which an ingenious client of hers had hooked up to the shop's water supply in exchange for a Prince Albert piercing, she moves over to her autoclave machine and cuts it on as well, wincing as it starts making an odd noise again. She sighs miserably as she realizes that she is probably going to have to rebuild the ancient machine once more. Aeon had given it to her before she left Mistral, along with her new identity. Gone was Weiss Schnee, the Faunus heiress of the Schnee Dust Company. In her place is Sophia Wulff, the midnight haired, green eyed, heavily tattooed faunus tattoo artist & piercer. She traveled to Vale as part of the first huge wave of people and Faunus eager to build new lives within the reclaimed city. She had of course vanished easily into the crowds of Faunus that swiftly carved out their own district in Vale. She could still remember the first call she made back to Mistral, and how excited Aeon and Mel had been to hear about her first day back in almost six long years. But a curious Aeon had asked her why she had left Myrtenaster behind. She had answered him without hesitation, Weiss Schnee is gone, dead and buried in a pauper's grave. Sophia Wulff has no need for a huntress's weapon.

Making herself a cup of coffee with her customary two sugars, she walks over to her side door and opens it wide to air out the shop before her first client of the day arrives. Smiling at the sight of the faunus children playing on the side street, she sits down to enjoy her coffee as she takes a pack of cigarettes out of one of the pockets of her jeans. She still needs to slip her shoes on, but she's in no hurry. Her first client is a regular who has been coming to her for over a year now getting several large pieces done on his back and chest. She smiles wider as a squirrel faunus girl stops and waves at her, and she waves back. The local kids all know later on if they catch her outside, she will have small treats and candies for them. The local parents all trust her, and know she has a soft spot for children. But now at 32, she doesn't have much hope left to have children of her own.

Sipping her coffee as she lazily watches the smoke from her cigarette drift skyward, she hears the kids start to chatter excitedly as the adults look worriedly at each other. Her wolf ears pick up the conversation easily, and her eyes narrow in disgust. A huntress is coming to the Faunus district. Stubbing out her cigarette, she makes her way back inside and shuts the door, not willing to see or be seen by some nosey huntress who will ask her a million and one questions while over inflating their own worth hoping to get a discount. Her neighbors and regulars all know the distaste she has for them, but not the why. The why is simple enough. They had allowed her to be taken away from the woman she loved, the home she loved, and the team she loved without a fight. Even Professor Goodwitch hadn't interfere as she had been dragged away kicking and howling and screaming for Ruby. And then there was the way Ruby, the woman she loved and adored most in life had just ignored her at best, and treated her as a liability at worst. And had ignored her in favor of...of...of HIM! That insufferable, idiotic, ignoramus! So no, she no longer has any love for the Huntsmen and Huntresses of Remnant.

Walking over to her front door, she unlocks it as she flips the open sign over. Her regular is her only client scheduled today, which is not good. Not with her rent due in less than a week, and she is still short for it. But she is confident that running a quick add on her Valebook page will drum up some last minute business. After all, if you want a tattoo that will last, you come to the Wolf Queen. Walking back to the small desk she uses for transactions and sketching, she reaches under and pulls out a pair of old well worn sneakers and slips them on. Looking at the time, she decides she has just long enough to smoke one more cigarette before before her client arrives. But before she can move back to her side door, she hears the ding of the front door opening and stops. Money is money right now, and even a quick fifty dollars for a piercing is more money in her pocket.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for the Wolf Queen." She knows that voice. She hears it every night in her dreams, and in her nightmares. She isn't sure she can turn around. It isn't from any kind of loving feelings that have started to well up inside of her. You have to have a heart for that, and her heart is dead and empty. The owner of the voice had seen to that personally. No, it is because she wants nothing to do with Weiss Schnee's life anymore. Any of it. Aeon and Mel, along with Mel's father had moved heaven and earth to insure that the whole world thought she is dead. And she wants it kept that way. With a slight sigh, she turns back around, and for the first time in over a decade, she looks at Ruby Rose.

"I'm the Wolf Queen. Can I help you?" She stares at the face that haunts her dreams and her nightmares, and feels nothing. No excitement, no dread, no love, no hate. Just nothing. But she is surprised at how much Ruby has changed. Gone is the bouncy energy of youth, that feeling of electricity you get when you're in her presence. Instead she stands calmly, almost stiffly in place. Her hair is still it's usual shoulder length, but to her surprise almost all the red is gone now with only a patch of it here and there. But the silver eyes are the most telling. Instead of the usual joy and life that once filled them, they are full of bitterness and sorrow. And somewhere in her dead heart, she can't help but approve.

"Yeah. I was told you're the best tattoo artist in Vale, and I need a cover up." She's intrigued now. The Ruby she remembers would have never gotten a tattoo, much less needed a cover up. Yang would have killed her the second she ever saw it. But then again Yang would have died on the spot if she saw her now. Both her arms are sleeved up to her shoulders, and she is sporting a huge chest plate as well. It is what earned her her nickname of the Wolf Queen, since it is the visage of a Beowolf snarling. It is still some of Aeon's best work, and she doesn't mind that her boobs are currently displayed for the world to see in one of his portfolio albums. Weiss would have, but Sophia doesn't give a damn. Especially since it's her artwork, and he credits her for it. And it certainly helps her business as well.

"So what am I covering up?" She motions the huntress back to her booth for privacy. A lot of the coverups she does are in some very private spots, and more than one customer is hesitant to show her in the open.

"Just a huge mistake is all." Now the huntress really has her interest, which is really rare. Diane and Aqua's antics usually keep her amused, as the squirrel and meerkat faunus girls get into no end of trouble on an almost daily basis. And they always come running to Auntie Sophia when they do end up in that trouble. But she needs to focus, she needs the money pretty bad right now and she is not about to do like several other girls who live on the block and flatback for the rest of her rent. Even she still has a bit of pride left. Opening the door, she ushers the huntress into her booth, the familiar smell of roses wafting up from her like a fine perfume. But, still nothing. No quickened heartbeat, no swelling feeling of love or desire. Nothing. Her heart still feels just as dead as before. As dead as it has been for almost thirteen years now.

"Well, let's take a look then." She watches as the huntress takes her long red cloak off, the hem even more ragged and tattered than she remembers it being. She then slips her left arm free of her shirt, being careful to keep her chest covered. She can't help but notice the corset is gone, and that Ruby has all the telltale signs of having given birth at least once. So she has at least one child, probably with Jaune. Well good to know. It's just another reason why her heart is staying dead. She watches impassively as she turns to the left now, revealing her arm and the roughly drawn tattoo of a heart with JA loves RR in the center. She winces as she turns it back and forth, seeing the rough linework as well as the poor ink quality. She knows exactly who JA is, but she needs to play dumb. That may be a bit tough. Oh wait, she just needs to think like a village idiot! Goddess only knows how great of an example Jaune had been over the years.

"This is going to be a bit rough. Whoever did this barely knew what he was doing." Rough is putting it mildly. The linework for the heart looks like it had been done by someone having a seizure the entire time, and the letters were barely any better. And she is willing to bet that it hurt like hell the whole time. Good. She can't help but feel a bit petty.

"My idiot ex husband did it when we were younger. I guess he felt like marking his territory and we were drunk. I almost killed him for it." Now that is a surprise. Her and Jaune seemed pretty lovey dovey to her when she was still young and foolish. Hell, it was the kiss she caught them sharing that had broken her that night she snuck away. She and Nora both had witnessed it, but she stopped Nora before the hammer wielder could go and break it up. It was obvious to her that Ruby had moved on, and that there was nothing left for her anymore. But back to business, she berates herself.

"Well this is going to cost you a pretty penny. And it's going to have to be pretty damned big to cover the whole thing." Personally, she thinks Ruby should keep it. After all, that is why she drew the chestpiece she now has. With a tank top on, no one can see the bloody rose being crushed in its maw. A constant reminder of why she refuses to love again. Even when the itch gets to her, she never removes her top. Never. That is her own scar to bear.

"I don't care. I want it gone. The only good that ever came from him are my girls." Hoo boy, that twit must have done something really bad to screw up with Ruby. Ruby used to be the most forgiving person in the universe. Hell, she even pleaded to save Cinder Fall's life during the great tribunal held for her trial. It didn't work obviously, as her execution had been televised on every channel on Remnant. But hey, when you destroy two kingdoms and kill millions of people that tends to be the preferred way to show that someone is trying to do something to reassure the masses. She hadn't watched obviously, she was too busy getting laid by Diane's mom. Speaking of her, she needs to see if she's busy later. The itch is back again.

"Well, you got anything in mind?" This should be good. Part of her is actually hoping the huntress lets her design something. Jaune's bloody face would look perfect, but that will give her away. Her distaste for the blonde twit had been very well known back in Beacon after all. She had even almost stabbed the village idiot one day when he had simply driven her too far. To this day, she still has no clue what Pyrrha and Ruby had ever seen in him. He had to have had a big cock or something. Bleh, no thanks! She barely even likes to use toys. She much prefers a skilled set of fingers as well as a tongue. Fuck! She really needs to see what Lexi is up to tonight!

"Yeah, actually I do." Damn, so much for that. She watches as the huntress pulls out her scroll and starts going through pictures. Many of them are of a pair of rather adorable little girls, both of them with Ruby's silver eyes and raven black with red tipped hair. That's a small blessing at least, neither of them look like the twit. Several of them are of Yang, and for the first time in years, her heart actually pangs a bit in sorrow. Yang looks diminished. All of the muscles are gone, and the once wild mane is gone as well. Her hair is now cut to right below her jaw, but it's her eyes that tell the whole story. Her eyes are as dead as her own. Obviously Yang never recovered from the loss of her arm, as well as the loss of Blake. Which is a true shame. Yang Xiao Long had burned as bright as the sun once, but now her bright spirit is shattered beyond repair. A true pity.

"I don't mean to rush you, but I have an appointment coming in soon." She needs to hurry this along. Her appointment is a well known member of the White Fang, as well as an old friend. The only one left from her days in Beacon other than Nora. They were the only two who knew the truth, and had helped Aeon and the others in the cover up. She trusted the two of them with her life. And she knows he is going to be anything but pleased to see Ruby Rose. He hadn't believed her at first when she had told him, not until Nora had backed her up. To her surprise, he got pissed. But then again, Sun Wukong is still a faunus after all. And the war with Salem had not been kind to the faunus at all. Even she is a quiet supporter of the White Fang now. But they still didn't get discounts, something Sun backed her up on after several members went back and complained. She needs to make a living too.

"Here we go, I found it. Sorry for the wait." Myrtenaster. The sword she abandoned years ago back in Mistral. But the picture is fairly recent according to the date stamp. Yang is holding the rapier gently in her lap, tears in her eyes. Obviously Aeon had given it to her. Or he had sold it like he claimed and she had found it covered in dust in the back corner of a weapons shop.

"It's a sword. You want me to tattoo a sword?" She needs to be careful. Too much will give her away. Damn but acting like a village idiot is harder than she thought.

"Yeah. It belonged to someone I…. Look, can you do it or not?" This is a surprise. Is that remorse in those silver eyes? A pity that she's twelve years too late. Somewhere in her dead little heart she can't help but feel a bit of glee at Ruby's pain. Taking the scroll, she walks back out to her desk and hooks it up to a photo printer to print the image out. She has to maintain appearances after all. She can draw Myrtenaster perfectly from memory even now, but Ruby doesn't need to know that.

"Yep. I can do it. Give me a few days to put a sketch together, and we can go from there. But there is a fifty Lien fee. When you come in for the first session, I'll take it off the total." Good, that will put her closer to her goal. She'll be damned if she ends up like any of the other tenants and have to suck a dick or worse to keep her home. She knows Aeon will send her money if she needs it, but damn it she has her pride!

"No problem. Just do me a favor and lose the part with the blonde please? My sister will be pissed if she finds out there are pictures of her on Valebook or something." She can't blame her, she looks like shit. Nothing like the once mighty Dragon she had been back in Beacon before the fall. Picking up an exacto knife she keeps to cut out stencils, she quickly cuts Yang out of the picture, leaving nothing but the sword that represents to her her failure to become a huntress. Handing it to Ruby along with her business card, she is surprised when the huntress hands her a fifty Lien card back. To her further surprise, she isn't wearing her cloak yet, just her long sleeved shirt.

"Alright, give me a few days. My card has my number on it, so just call me when you're ready to come back." Sun will be here any minute, and he will be pissed if he sees her here. And honestly? If he attacks her she won't try to stop him. Not anymore.

"Thanks. I'll call you when I get back from Vacuo. Gotta clear out a nest of Grimm that's gotten too close to a settlement." So she's still a huntress? Huh. Guess Auntie Yang takes care of the girls, or that pathetic loser. One of the two. Be nice. He had to have had a big dick. Ick. Before she can say another word, Ruby walks out of her tiny shop, throwing her cloak over her shoulders before vanishing in a swirl of roses. But to even her surprise, the rose petals aren't red anymore.

They are as black as night.


	2. Chapter 2

"Wow, I can't believe Ruby of all people showed up here. Bitch has guts." Sun is getting drunk. Nothing new whenever he comes over. He trusts her enough to know she'll cut him off before he gets past the point of no return. Which he is pushing now.

"It's not like she knows Sun." She stops to take a sip of her own beer, wincing at the taste. Sun always gets the cheapest shit available. But free beer is free beer. And she is too broke to argue.

"That isn't the point Sophia. She knows the faunus have zero love for her. Especially when she defended that bitch Fall." He has a very valid point. Cinder had suddenly appeared in Menagerie during the war, her little skank Emerald in tow. Without warning, she set the entire island aflame in less than an hour, killing a quarter of a million faunus who wanted nothing to do with the war. They just wanted to be left alone.

"Yeah well, if I didn't need the money so bad I would have told her to fuck off. But this has been a slow month, what with Yule coming up." She grimaces as she takes another swig. Goddesses above but this shit almost tastes like piss.

"You know, if you cut my boys and girls some better deals, you would get a lot more business." She watches as he drains another beer and uses his tail to toss it into her trash can by the side door. She had gotten the next part of his back piece done today, and it had hurt him badly. But she knows he adored Neptune wholeheartedly, so she was giving her friend her absolute best work. He deserves nothing less.

"Maybe if your boys and girls were paid better, they could afford me. Goddesses Sun, this fucking beer tastes like shit! Did you just piss into the bottles or something?" She can't drink this bullshit pisswater anymore. Pulling her scroll out, she sends Lexi a quick text begging her to bring real beer over. Hopefully she will bring her sexy ass over soon.

"This shit ain't that bad Sophia." He takes a swig of a fresh bottle and grimaces himself. "Ok, maybe it is."

"Told you so." She had slipped out of her jeans and into a pair of shorts with a hole for her tail. She needs to see if Lexi will touch up the dye on her tail. There's a couple of patches of silvery white fur starting to show, and she doesn't need that. She smiles as she hears a familiar whistle.

"I'm liking the view I see! Too bad I'm not a beaver faunus!" She smiles as she sees Lexi come into view, a twelve pack of good beer held in her hands. Lexi is good people, and she has enjoyed the casual thing they've had going on for years now. Neither of them want anything more than what they have, and that works just fine for her.

"See Sophia, all the ladies want a piece of Wukong!" She starts laughing as Sun starts making all sorts of ridiculous poses, but when he stretches the fresh artwork on his lower back, she laughs even louder as he starts swearing and trying not to rub at it. "Hey! Not cool Sophia! That shit hurt!"

"Good, because you looked like a fucking retard." Lexi retorts as she smirks at the monkey faunus, setting the case of beer down on her small outdoor table. Leaning down, the squirrel faunus gives her a quick peck on the cheek before straightening back up. "Besides, you ain't my landlord. No free pussy for you."

"Yeah, keep meaning to ask you two about that." Oh shit, he has his serious face on. She knows he's been hearing things, but he hasn't acted on them yet. Yet being the operative word. And considering the fact that Lexi looks like she just got shot, she knows she just doomed the asshole human that owns the blocks. "Is it true? And don't lie to protect him either."

"I'm the only one that won't flatback to save money on rent." She bites the bullet and tells him. He's going to find out sooner or later, and she would rather tell him then make Lexi do it. Lexi is already ashamed enough, but she has a damned good reason. She has Diane to take care of. She can respect that. If she had a kid and a quick fuck made the difference between her kid going hungry and on the streets or fed and a roof over her head, it would be a no brainer to her too. Only the Fang gives a fuck about the faunus anymore, and the Fang are about to take care of the problem.

"I don't want to be involved Wukong. I got a kid. I can't go to the work camps." Lexi looks terrified now, so she does the only thing she can think of, which is pull the worried faunus woman into her lap and cuddle her. Damn but if she shakes any worse in fear, she is going to shake herself to death.

"Chill. I got this." She watches as he gets up and puts his mask on. She still hates that part of the Fang, but the humans treat them worse than animals now, and if Sun wants to deal with it she is fine with it. The landlord is a pig anyway. "You two never saw me." That should be simple enough. Everyone in the district knows to stay away from her shop when he's here, and he always drops a couple extra Lien on her desk when he leaves. And she makes damned sure there's nothing about him on any of her records. They are still considered criminals after all, and she doesn't need that hassle whenever some Valian business auditor decides to suddenly show up. So as far as today went, she didn't do shit.

"Fuck! I just fucked up! Goddess damn it! I'm gonna land in a camp for sure!" Great, Lexi is flipping the fuck out now. Not that she blames her. No one, human or faunus wanted to be sent to one of the reconstruction work camps. They were dangerous places located deep in Grimm controlled territories and only lightly guarded. Being sent to one is a death sentence according to Nora, for the workers and the guards both. She is one of the few Huntresses who cares enough to keep an eye on them, and she has gotten more than a few phone calls in the middle of the night from a sobbing Nora. She had gotten there too late to save another one.

"Calm down Lexi. He knows what he's doing. Come on, let's drink a few beers and relax." She's still shaking. Not good. If she's this scared, something is up. Lexi hears everything about what is going on in the district sooner or later. A benefit of being a waitress in a busy diner of the edge of the human/faunus district.

"I think I'm gonna head home Sophia. You need to go in too, and lock your doors." Yep, she's heard about something all right. Another fucking sweep. Fuck! Looks like it's gonna be a day or two before she can get her itch scratched. Fuck! She needs to remember where she left her ID at. Pretty sure she left it in her desk. And she needs to get cleaned up before nightfall. She watches as the squirrel faunus dashes back over to her building, giving her a quick wave before going back inside.

"So much for that." Fuck.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

She really, really hates it when people beat on her door in the middle of the night. Especially when she is hungover. Thankfully she had the presence of mind to put her jeans back on before she passed out. But the flashing lights outside are telling her two things. One, someone is in deep shit. Two, all the flashing lights and noise are going to make her hangover even worse. Stumbling her way to the front, she winces as whoever the sorry asshole it is beats on her door again. She hates sweeps with a passion, since normally she has to deal with some uppity dumbassed huntsman convinced she's like everyone else in the district and a member of the White Fang.

Flinging open her door, she starts to mentally curse whatever she did in a past life to earn yet another blast from her past. Glynda Goodwitch has gotten old. The blonde hair pulled into the customary bun is streaked heavily in grey, and she is sporting some hellacious crow's feet. But just like so many others who survived the war, her eyes told the whole story. They were tired, filled with pain and loss. But it is what she says next that truly shocks her.

"May I come in Weiss?" Goddess, she knows. She knows who she is. She is so fucked. She's going to be put on trial, more than likely executed like her sister. Or sent to a camp like her bastard of a father. "Sophia, please. I need a word with you. It is important." Ok. Calm down. She called her by her new name. So that means she isn't here for that. Let her in, hear her out, and send her on her way quickly.

"Yeah, come on. Not like I can really say no." She moves aside to let the older woman in. But to her surprise, she motions to the side first, and Nora suddenly appears, carrying Aqua and Diane. Both girls are bawling and crying hysterically and she quickly ushers the hammer wielder and the professor in.

"Wish I was here under better circumstances chick." Nora smiles sadly as she moves back to the back. Nora has changed so much since Ren's death. Gone was the hyperactive pancake snarfing Queen of the Castle. That Nora died the same day he did. Nora has become a serious warrior who prefers to work alone whenever possible. She refuses to risk another possible partner again.

"Indeed. Is this room secure, Sophia?" Good, she's still using her alias. That's a good sign. Hopefully.

"Yeah. No one is going to bother to bug a Faunus tattoo artist who barely makes ends meet. Now what happened to Lexi and Jenna?" She reaches over and takes both crying girls from Nora, wincing as their small hands wrap onto her hair, clothes, anything they can cling to. She can feel how terrified they are, and she smells a hint of blood on both of them. "C'mon, my room is in the back." she keeps both girls close, afraid of the truth. Lexi barely lets Diane out of her sight when she's home, and Jenna was overbearing at best, irritating at worst when it comes to Aqua. For Nora to be carrying them, something bad must have happened. And she is regretting that case of beer.

"They were killed. A large group of humans stormed the apartment complex next door and slaughtered everyone living in the building. We found these two hiding in the air vents." Goddess. Oh goddess. Why? Lexi wouldn't hurt a fly, and Jenna only joined the Fang for protection. These two have no one now, no one but….

"Weiss, do you have any idea what happened? I need to know wolfette." Nora asks her gently. That gets her attention. Nora knows how she feels about being called that name. She loathes it. But this is important. Sun must have gone too far again, and he brought down the wrath of the humans this time. Which isn't good. Setting the girls down on her bed, she sees her nose had been right, and they were both covered in blood and tears.

"Will it come back on me? I have to live here. Work here. I have nowhere else to go." She settles down on the bed and cuddles the girls, who are still sobbing and whining as they cling to her. She is scared. For the first time in a decade she is genuinely frightened. She has no real weapon, her aura barely works unless she focuses on it, and she hasn't even attempted a glyph in years now. She's in no condition to really defend herself.

"No Weiss, it will not. Nora and I made sure that we came in under the cover of darkness. To be frank, we need your help." She blinks. They need her help? Ha! They honestly overestimate her. She's just known as the tattoo chick who loves kids. She keeps to herself mostly, preferring her solitude and her music and books. Her only real company is Sun and Lexi, and….. she'll never see Lexi again. Fucking hell! Sun you idiot!

"I don't know how much help I could be. I'm just a tattoo artist. I don't leave my shop much unless I need to pay rent or buy groceries. People come to me. And please, stop calling me that name. That person is dead." She sees Nora wince and Glynda raise an eyebrow. Fuck but she wants to slap the older woman so badly right now. Because of her, she had been dragged off by the goon squad and subjected to a year in hell. Only to be rescued by someone she thought loved her, only to find out differently not long after. Nora knows that. She was there with her after all.

"Sorry Sophia. Look, they started screaming for you, so I brought them." Nora starts digging in her pockets and pulls out a wad of Lien. "Keep this. Use it to take care of these two. I don't need it. And I'll help as much as I can." She smiles gratefully. Nora knows how tight she is from month to month, and she will need the help.

"Thank you so much Nora. And I will." And she will. She has come to adore these two. They were her favorites out of all the neighborhood kids, and they are going to need her now. It might take a bit of rearranging so they all fit, but she will figure it out.

"Sophia, we need you to come back and be a huntress again. There are so few…" She cuts the older woman off with a glare. She can feel the hate rising from her dead heart, and she wants to simply reach out and choke the bitch who allowed her to be taken.

"No. My dream of being a huntress died with my old name. I wouldn't even be able to pick up a weapon, much less try to use my Glyphs. And frankly," she points at Glynda with a scowl on her features. "I wouldn't help you even if Salem and Cinder both suddenly crawl back out of hell." It is getting so hard to control her rage. Thankfully, Nora grabs ahold of Glynda and waves as she leads her off silently. She knows Nora will stop by tomorrow to apologize for everything. Which is fine so long as she leaves Goodwitch back under the rock she crawled out from under. But enough, she wills her anger back under control. The girls need her now, and she can only hope that Nora can get things under control soon. Hopefully.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Well, that certainly didn't work."

"I told you. Sophia doesn't want anything to do with any of you. She blames you for being taken by her dad." Nora watches the former Professor takes her glasses off and pinch the bridge of her nose.

"Then what makes you different Nora? Why will she still deal with you and not anyone else?"

Nora shrugs as she takes Magnhild off her back. "I helped rescue her. And I was there for her when we saw Ruby kiss Jaune. Helped her leave too, even though that got me in a shitload of trouble with Renny."

"What did Ruby ever see in Jaune? Even I believed him to be worse than useless." Glynda puts her glasses back on and draws her riding crop as they approach the apartment complex that is now surrounded by Vale police and the White Fang.

"Been asking myself that for thirteen years now. I guess Ruby learned how to fuck up a perfectly great thing from Blake." Nora keeps the head of the warhammer close to the ground. She doesn't want to make things any worse than they already are. "Don't make me regret telling you. Sophia is probably the only real friend I have left now."

"I gave you my word. No one will ever know from me." Glynda sighs miserably as she looks at Nora. "I still blame myself for what happened to her. If only I had any aura left."

"It's fine. We all have shit we blame ourselves for. We all just have to deal with our sins the best we can. It's my fault Renny's dead. It's Blake's fault Yang is a mess. And it's Ruby's fault that Weiss is dead." With that, Nora strides forward as she starts calling out for civilians to disperse. Glynda hangs back, a sudden thought coming to her. It all began when she had simply sat back and allowed Weiss to be taken from her team. From her partner. The war had ground on for years, and Ruby Rose had suffered greatly. Far more than any one person should have. Team RWBY would have been the natural leaders in the war against Salem and Cinder Fall, but instead they had been divided and broken one at a time. And it all began when a wolf faunus girl had been dragged back against her will to her father's home. And the greatest up and coming team in the history of Beacon had been irreparably broken. And it was her fault. All because she was so exhausted she couldn't move. Glynda Goodwitch dissolves into tears as the same thought flashes in her mind.

' _All of this is my fault…..'_

 ** _XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_**

 **Hey everyone, Wyn here with a small update for you. I have been offline for a couple of weeks now with no real internet, so please excuse the delay in updates. No, to answer a question I received about this story, I will be updating it on a monthly basis. Sorry for how slow that may seem, but I only started it. The later chapters have eluded me until recently, and I refuse to just wump together crap to post. You deserve nothing less than my best! So sit back, relax, and enjoy!**


	3. Chapter 3

Velvet Scarlatina stretches as her scroll goes off for the millionth time this morning. Not for the first time she wishes that she could just throw the damned thing out of the porthole. But as a lieutenant in the White Fang, she just can't. She has responsibilities to the organization, and besides, her partner for over a decade now wouldn't let her. Getting out from under the covers, she yawns as she stretches, eventually rising to her feet and then her toes, lengthening out to her normal 5' 3" in height. Wincing as her scars pull, she groans irritably. Eleven years, and she still can't stretch like she likes.

Hearing a pair of giggles coming from under a large blanket, she stalks over as quiet as a shadow and grabs ahold of it. Waiting for the giggling to get a bit louder, she suddenly snatches it off as she smiles. "Well well well, look what I found! A pair of Joey's in their pocket!"

"Mum! That isn't funny! We left the pocket!" Jet, a raven haired rabbit Faunus cries out, her chocolate brown eyes gleaming.

"Yeah mum! We're big girls now!" Kali proclaims, her chocolate brown cat ears twitching as her molten gold eyes sparkle. Velvet just laughs as she looks at the girls her and her partner had roughly five years ago now. The White Fang had "acquired" a way to have children using artificial sperm, and Velvet and her partner had been the first to volunteer. To their surprise, it had worked surprisingly well, and she and her partner decided to make it a permanent arraignment to raise the sisters together.

Five years later, and Velvet adores her partner as much as their girls, but she still misses Coco. But after eleven years, Velvet is sure that she's moved on just like she has. Her work as well as her girls keep her moving constantly from place to place. But now that they are here in Vale, the two of them as well as their girls are thrilled.

They are here to stay. No more moving every few months. No more having to deal with this idiot or that asshole. And no more trips to Menagerie. She never wants to go back there ever again. So many died. Her parents and siblings, Blake's, even Neptune. She, along with Sun and Blake had witnessed Neptune's final stand. It had taken weeks to get him there, and he had to be heavily medicated the whole way. But there wasn't time for that during Cinder's attack. Blake still has nightmares of watching him wave good bye. Sun refuses to love anyone else. But she respects him. He stood alone and bought them the time the last vessel needed to escape before the fire and the flames consumed him. He never screamed. He wouldn't give Cinder the satisfaction.

Shaking her head, she smiles as she looks at the girls. "I tell my favorite brumbies what, whoever gets your mum up first gets to pick breakfast!" She starts laughing as the two eager young girls dash over to the bed and start burrowing under blankets to tickle the cat Faunus still sleeping underneath.

"Nooooo! Jet stop tickling my feet! Kali! Stop tickling my stomach!" Velvet starts laughing as she moves to change. Gone was her gold and brown bodysuit, replaced by a long chocolate brown dress with dust infused runes woven into the sides and sleeves. She had lost her special camera and case years ago during the same fight that scarred her deeply, when a monstrous Alpha Beowolf clawed her down her front. It had dug deep furrows down her entire front, leaving a line of three claw marks running from the top of her head all the way down to her stomach. She had almost died from blood loss alone, not to mention she almost lost her eyesight as well. If the claws had been just a little bit closer to the left or right, she would not doubt be dead or blind. Coco and the others had been forced to leave her behind in Vale as they traveled north to join Ruby. Once she recovered enough, she was evacuated to Menagerie, where she had run into Blake, Sun and Neptune. When her life changed forever.

"Velvet!" Blake screams from under the blanket, no doubt Kali's reach her sides now. With a smile as she slips her three inch heels on, she strides over and pulls the blanket off the woman and their giggly daughters.

"Alright you two, go get dressed. I'll finish getting your mum up." She watches as the two faunus girls scoot off laughing and giggling before she sits down next to her wife, Blake Belladonna. "Time to get up mum."

Blake moans as she tries to grab the blanket and pull it back over her head. "Nooooo Velv. I stayed up most of the night reading."

"Well that's just too bad love, I kept telling you to turn the bloody light off and go to bed." Velvet decides it's time to quit playing nice. Taking one of her long fingered hands, she starts running it gently up her left leg, past numerous scars running across her legs and past her waist. Her smile widens as Blake shudders and tries to slap her hand away with her long silky tail, but Velvet is hungry and the girls are both up. Her fingers trail up higher, and she hesitates at the long slashing scar that runs across Blake's back. A final souvenir from Adam Taurus. The two of them along with Sun had tracked him down in Mistral, and faced off against him in a titanic battle. Velvet had watched as Adam slashed Blake across her back after knocking Sun out, and the rabbit faunus had become enraged. Using her copycat ability combined with the dust she had started training with to become a dust mage, she fought Adam for over an hour before she finally drove Gambol's Katana through his skull and set it aflame.

Blake never used Gambol Shroud again. Instead she claimed Wilt and Blush while Velvet inherited Gambol Shroud. They cemented their reputation with the White Fang, and soon enough they became deeply immersed in the terrorist organization. They spent years fighting for the Faunus, who suffered almost cataclysmic losses. And when the chance came to help replenish their numbers they took it.

Blake finally lifts her head and smiles as she watches Kali and Jet throw their nightclothes at each other, giggling all the while. "They are so beautiful Velv."

"Yeah they are love. I wish we could have had more though." Having Jet and Kali had almost killed them both. Velvet's claw wounds almost split back open, and Blake's back injury had gotten aggravated to the point that she couldn't walk anymore. Both women had become disappointed that they couldn't have any more children, but still felt like the Goddesses had still blessed them. And they themselves couldn't be happier. It had made the rabbit and cat faunus finally admit the feelings that had been growing between them for years. They had gotten married when the girls had been six months old.

Velvet winces along with her wife as she slowly stands and stretches, pulling on the nasty scar. Blake had been forced to change her entire fighting style after the battle with Adam. Gone is the acrobatic ninja like style supported by the Gambol Shroud. She modified her style to favor speed and a fast terminal strike instead. She depended on her clones to keep her targets busy until she could end a fight with one swift strike. Velvet meanwhile modified Gambol Shroud to channel dust better, giving her more options for either in close or distance strikes. Both of them had become deadly in the past eleven years. But their hands are covered in blood. So much blood. But they let them stay coated. They were fighting for a better future for their girls. And that alone makes it all worth it.

"Mum! Mama! We're hungry!" Jet cries out, already dressed in shorts and a t-shirt with the Pumpkin Pete's bunny emblazoned on the front.

"Yeah! I want some tuna pancakes!" Kali adds as she struggles to get into a red tinted dress.

Velvet snickers as she looks at Blake before walking over to help their kitten into her dress. "You heard the bosses love. They have spoken."

"Of course they have. Thus we must make haste to feed our growing bottomless pits!" Blake smiles as she answers while putting on a pair of slim black pants and a white shirt.

Smiling, the dust mage and the assassin finish getting their daughters ready. They'll be docking in Vale soon, and they had to make a few more preparations. It's been a long journey from Mistral, and they have much to do. But first they need to find Sun Wukong and figure out what in the hell he screwed up this time.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"What the fuck were you thinking you IDIOT!" She is furious. No, worse than furious! Six months! The damned rock headed idiot has been laying low for over six months now, and now he suddenly decides to come out of hiding to work on his tattoo?! Nora is still looking for him, so is Glynda along with every Huntsman and Huntress in Vale!

"Oh quit worrying so much Sophia! The heat should be off by now. And I'm pretty sure you need the money."

She doesn't hesitate as she grabs him by the ear and drags him back to the bedroom she now shares with her girls. It had taken months to get them to sleep through the night. Weeks to get them to stop jumping at every little sound. Aqua still stays glued to her side from the second she wakes up to the second she falls asleep, while Diane has turned moody and quiet. But she will be damned if she fails the two little girls that have come to depend on her. They have actually started to make her feel something again. Something she hasn't felt in over a decade. They make her feel loved. She knows that Aqua is trailing behind her as she slings the door to the bedroom open, startling Diane as she sits and watches cartoons. Ignoring his constant squeals of pain, she shoves him towards the bed, where he lands in a heap. Diane doesn't miss a beat, and quickly sits back down on his head, pinning him to the bed. "Oooo Mr. Sun is in trouble!"

"Hey! Get off my head kid! This isn't funny!" Sun howls as he tries to push the squirrel faunus girl off his head. To her amusement, Diane starts snapping at him as her tail bristles angrily. But she herself is pissed. She can't take the chance of him being caught here. They will rip her tiny little family apart just as they have finally started to get comfortable with each other. Balling up one small fist, she pins one of his legs to the bed and strikes swiftly with a surprisingly powerful punch to his balls.

"Ooooo, mommy Sophia just hit Mr. Sun in the no no spot." She snickers at Aqua's statement. It was the least he deserves, but she needs to get him to shut up before Nora or Glynda show up and find him here. At least the nut shot had the desired effect, since he is now whimpering quietly and holding his crotch.

"Listen to me you idiot! You stay back here and you stay quiet! And tonight after they run the sweeps, you are going to get your monkey ass out of my shop and stay gone until the heat actually is off, got it?! Or do I need to hit you in your balls again?!"

"Got it… Please don't donkey punch me again…." Good. He got the hint. Leaving him with Diane, she walks back up front while spraying air freshener everywhere to try to mask his scent. Her nose wrinkles at the smell of pine as she walks back, praying to the Goddesses that they will give her this much. She doesn't want anything else to happen to the girls. They've suffered enough.

Picking Aqua up, she settles the little meerkat down on the desk and goes back to fixing the hem of her skirt. Aqua stares wide eyed as she goes back and forth with needle and thread, and she has a pang in her heart as a memory returns unbidden. She can remember Ruby doing the same thing as they sat together after initiation, with Weiss fixing the the tear in her cloak from the Nevermore's feather. Even Blake and Yang had watched in amazement as the heiress deftly stitched the ragged tear back together before handing Ruby her precious cloak back. Ruby had truly smiled at her for the first time that day, and Weiss couldn't help but bask in the brilliance that was Ruby Rose. Thinking about it, she is still more than certain that that had been the moment that she had fallen in love with the little red cloaked dolt. Damn but ever since she took in her girls she is starting to feel more and more. Hearing the door open, her ears twitch as as she picks up the conversation the two women are having as they enter, her heart sinking rapidly.

"I'm telling you love. His scent comes right to here. And my sniffer works better than yours."

"I find that hard to believe. Especially considering your nose got split in half and had to be sewn back together."

"Oi! That was a low blow love! Hey! You got a minute?" She can feel her blood pumping in fright. This is it. Some Faunus the Huntsmen hired with promises of wealth or full citizenship has tracked the block head back to her shop. But they won't take her, or especially her girls. She reaches down and pulls a knife out from under the desk. But before she can sit back up, one of the Faunus suddenly takes a deep breath and gasps.

"Impossible. She's dead."

"Wait, what are you going on about love?"

"Weiss. Her scent is everywhere in here! But she's dead! We went to her grave! We laid white roses on it!" She hears the second Faunus take a deep breath and gasp as well.

"Bloody hell! You're right love! Weiss! Where in the hell are you?!" She is on the verge of a full blown panic attack now. These two Faunus must have met her somewhere in the past. Probably right here in Vale or even in Beacon. She's been so worried about Sun putting the girls in danger that it never occurred to her that she too could be a danger to them either. But from deep within her she can feel a genuine growl start to climb from her chest, and the once dead heart it holds still. Standing up from her hiding spot as she pulls Aqua behind her, she barely brandishes the knife before she gasps in surprise, the knife dropping from nerveless fingers as the sight and the scent of the two faunus hit her like a ton of bricks. Her hands fly to her mouth as tears spring to her eyes as she stares into the eyes of two of her closest and dearest friends from her past.

"Blake? Velvet? Is it really you?" She watches as the cat faunus walks towards her slowly, one hand rising up to pull hers away from her mouth.

"Goddesses above, is it really you Weiss?" She feels Blake run a gentle finger across her face slowly where her scar should be, her fingernail easily pulling the putty away to reveal the living reminder of her father's cruelty.

"Bloody hell, it is you Weiss!" Not another word was said as the three women begin to hug each other, tears falling from all their eyes. They stay this way for a while until Velvet pulls away first, allowing the former team members a chance to hold each other close.

"Goddesses above Weiss, everyone thinks you're dead. Why?" Blake finally asks into her ear. Weiss sniffles as she pulls away finally from a woman as close to her as a sister once and wipes her eyes.

"Winter. I saw what happened to her on TV. I was still living on the streets in Mistral at the time. I watched them execute my sister, and I was scared I would be next."

"I can understand that love. Me and Blake just got into town ourselves….."

"And we don't need to draw too much attention to ourselves right now either. Not until…" Blake suddenly stops and looks at Velvet, who shakes her head slightly. Taking a closer look, she sees that the two of them have changed so much, but then again, so has she.

"How long have you two been White Fang?" She might as well get it out of the way. After all, Blake is carrying Wilt and Blush, and Gambol Shroud is secure on the small of Velvet's back. She can't help but snicker as the two of them look at her with jaws dropped. "You don't have to worry about me. I'm a supporter of the Vale chapter these days." She smiles as both women visibly relax and look at her.

"I went back after I ran. I decided to try to change things from the inside. And to take care of some unfinished business." Blake answers as she brandishes Wilt and Blush. She isn't surprised. And a huge part of her is glad to see that her friend finally conquered her demons. Turning to Velvet, she ignores the scars that seem to run in parallel down her face and disappear down the front of her dress.

"I got wrapped up with the Fang after the fall of Menagerie. I watched that bitch Fall burn everything." Velvet has changed so much. She sure as hell has no room to talk. "So, what's your story love?"

It takes a while to tell them everything. But she holds nothing back. They pause only long enough for Velvet to run and get them something to eat and to go and retrieve her's and Blake's daughters. She is enchanted by the adorable bunny and kitten, who somehow manage to get Aqua and Diane laughing and playing in no time at all. "And that is everything."

Blake sighs as she pinches the bridge of her nose. "So Sun is here then?"

"Yup. In the back still. I have him locked in."

"Bloody idiot! He knew we were coming sooner or later!" Velvet growls as she cracks her knuckles. "And he got an entire building's worth of Faunus killed!"

"They weren't all Faunus, Velvet." She cuts her off. They don't understand how things are here in the district. "Some of the people in that building were humans as well. Humans who dared to love a faunus." They stop and look at each other in shock.

"Have things really come so far here in Vale at least?" She hears the tinge of hope in Blake's voice.

"Yes. Diane's father was a human. He was killed during a riot a few years ago. Same with Aqua's father." She smiles as she looks at them both. "Even with the deaths, it hasn't changed. There are many human/faunus couples left here."

"So then what in the bloody hell is going on?!"

"Remember Cardin Winchester? He's the leader of the largest anti Faunus rights group here in Vale. He led the lynch mob six months ago."

She watches Blake sigh as she leans back in her chair. "I knew that cocksucker was going to be nothing but trouble."

Velvet sighs as she holds a sleeping Kali. "So what do we do? And how much can we trust Nora?"

"I trust Nora Valkyrie with my life." That's all she has to say. Blake nods as she stands.

"Then that's good enough for me. I'll deal with Sun. Sophia, is the place next door to you for rent?" She sees Blake wince slightly, but she knows the two Faunus women will respect her and her choice to continue to hide.

"Yes it is. The new landlord is an old acquaintance, so I'm pretty sure they'll rent to you no questions asked." She won't complain if they move in of course. She's gotten used to Nora's constant presence now, and having Blake and Velvet and their two girls living next door would be a real gift from the Goddesses. Taking out her scroll, she finds the number she needs and pushes send, not surprised that the person on the other line answers within the second ring.

"Good evening Miss Wulff. Is there anything you need?" She snickers as both their jaws drop simultaneously.

"As a matter of fact Professor, I have a rabbit and a cat interested in renting the place next to mine." She smirks as she turns the scroll around to face the two shocked faunus women, not surprised at the next statement.

"I shall be there in the morning with the paperwork. I trust the two of you have suitable identification?" She starts giggling as the two grown women start to shuffle their feet.

"Yes ma'am Professor Goodwitch." They answer in unison as they both look at her and glare. She simply flashes them both her best shit eating grin as she lights a cigarette. Tomorrow is going to be fun.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"C'mon Blake! Don't do this! I swear I never meant for all of this to happen!" Sun pleads as Blake marches him towards the docks in the hour preceding dawn. Blake is furious of course, Sun had indirectly caused the deaths of over forty people, and left two of the most adorable faunus girls she has ever seen other than her own orphaned.

"Sun, I'm not going to kill you. But you need to get the hell out of Vale for a while." Blake smiles grimly as she feels him relax. She owes Sun too much to just hand him over to the humans. Especially if they are being led by that dick Winchester. That could be a problem in the long run.

"Where am I supposed to go then Blake? Huh? I'm not going to Menagerie. I won't…" Blake stops him with a look as she releases the taller Faunus.

"Go back to Mistral. Neon's there waiting for you. She'll help you find a place to lay low while she and Reese keep things calm."

Sun snorts as he crosses his arms across his chest. "So Neon's in charge in Mistral now? That's some bullshit and we both know it Blake. Especially since she's running things with a human."

Blake slaps Sun so hard that she knows she knocked a tooth loose, but before he can draw one of his gunchucks she has Wilt pointed in his face. "Reese can be trusted Sun. Right now alot more than you. Now get on the ship. And so help me if you don't show up on this ship in Mistral, I will hunt you down personally. Got it?"

"Yeah Blake, I got it." He takes a deep breath and sighs. "I really fucked everything up didn't I?"

"Yes you did Sun. But it's nothing Velvet and I can't fix." Blake sheathes Wilt as she smiles sadly at her old friend.

"Just do me a favor? Keep an eye on Sophia for me, will ya?"

"You know we both will Sun." Blake holds out her arms and hugs Sun tightly, knowing it will be some time before she sees him again. "And thank you for helping her."

"You bet Bellabootie!" She groans at the mention of that old nickname. "What are friends for?"


	4. Chapter 4

Ruby Rose sighs as she sees the landing pad quickly approaching. Ten months, she's been gone for ten long months tracking down a stubborn Deathstalker who refused to catch a hint. Not to mention all the other smaller hunts she took on just to feel helpful, like she still matters as a Huntress at least. But she is finally coming home to her girls and her sister, and that in itself gives her pause.

 _I survived again._

Two other huntsmen and a huntress died during all of this. Lives that couldn't be spared considering the current shortage. But her? She lived once more to see another day. The Goddesses must not think that it's her time yet.

 _My suffering, my penance, isn't over._ _Why can't you forgive me yet, Weiss?_

She can't blame the petite wolf faunus that she still loves even after all these years. She failed her, completely and totally, and her continued survival is proof that she has yet to be forgiven. Enough, she feels the bullhead touch down gently on the pad, and the flight crew announce their arrival in Vale proper. Staying seated as the other passengers gather their things and shuffle out, she stays under her ragged cloak, not surprised that not a single soul even glances in her direction, especially the few faunus that are on board. One of them even spits on the floor next to her seat before walking away.

 _I'm not worthy of notice. I betrayed all of them to find you, Weiss. They will never forgive me either._

"Mrs. Arc, the council has asked that we bring you to Mistral." The pilot announces over the intercom just as the last passenger exits the bullhead. Ruby groans in annoyance, both at the last name as well as the announcement. No doubt, Jaune is pissed at her again, or the council has yet another problem with her or her report. Settling back into the seat, she sighs as the bullhead rises to the air once more and turns in the direction of Mistral.

 _Maybe we'll be attacked on the way? There's a Grimm dragon on the loose between here and Mistral City. Even I can't take one of those anymore._

She can feel those scars along her abdomen, where Cinder's personal dragon almost cut her in half before she drove her scythe into its neck. She can't wear her trademark corsets anymore, they're too tight along the old wounds there as well as several more on her sides and back. Yet not a single one a killing blow, or even crippling. Shame, it is no more than she deserves for her failures. For all the lives she personally destroyed during and after the war.

"Flight time to Mistral's border is six and a half hours, Mrs. Arc. We'll stop at the border to refuel and rest for the night before continuing onward Ma'am." The pilot pauses for a moment. "I have to ask you to remain onboard during that time please. Chancellor Arc was quite insistent on us making sure you arrive ma'am."

"Please stop calling me Mrs. Arc." Ruby finally speaks up. "Jaune and I are divorced, and have been for several years now." It was the only thing she ever did for herself, divorcing that ass. Goddesses but what was she thinking when she even agreed to marry him?! It certainly wasn't because of any carnal needs. He never could please her there, even on a day when her standards were so low, even touching herself slightly did the trick.

"I'm just following my orders Ma'am. He is quite insistent on you returning to Mistral." Damn that son of a bitch! Why can't he just leave her alone?!

"Look, I promise to take all the blame fellas. But seriously, you can let me off here." She tells them as she stands and starts moving towards the exit. They aren't that high up yet. She can easily make a combat drop from here and still make the last ferry to Patch.

But to her irritation, the door remains locked. "We're sorry ma'am. Orders are orders."

" _Damn you Jaune Arc! Why can't you just leave me alone?!"_ Sighing, she scrounges up a pillow from her field pack as well as her pack of cigarettes before settling down directly across from the exit door. Lighting one of the foul smelling Vacuin smokes, she takes a deep breath before exhaling slowly, a plan to escape already forming in her mind.

"Extinguish the cigarette please."

"Let me out and I will." She counters as she takes another deep drag.

"Do it, or I'll hit the fire suppression system." The pilot returns with a smirk as his hand hovers over the button.

But to her annoyance, the copilot suddenly chimes in as he pushes the hand away. "Smoke away ma'am. You're not getting away that easily."

" _Son of a bitch!"_ Ruby sighs as she settles in. Of all the things he planned for, he sent a smart one to babysit the dumb one. Oh well, might as well enjoy the free flight. Closing her eyes, all she could do is hope there wouldn't be any nightmares…..

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"What do you think of this one?" Weiss asks her as she holds up the fourth, or was it fifth dress. Personally, she prefers her naked and under a blanket with her, but hey! She wants to look nice for their date tonight, who was she to question it?

Ruby can feel her smirk as she looks at her Snowflake. "It'll look good on you, wolfette. But I bet it's going to look better on the floor!" She can't help but throw in a jaunty wink as Weiss just groans.

"Dolt! Is sex with me all you ever think about?! Tomorrow is the Vytal Ball, and we are going to look our best as the highest ranked first year team competing!" Weiss chastises her as she hangs the dress back up, her long fluffy tail wagging gently.

"Awwww, but Weiss! Are you saying sex with me isn't awesome or mind blowing? Some stupid ball is more important than little ole me?" Ruby shoots back teasingly, even as she mentally facepalms at the mention of the ball. " _Stupid ball! I forgot all about it!"_

Weiss just glares at the Reaper, one delicate foot tapping on the floor. "You forgot we cancelled our date, didn't you?" She sighs as she looks directly at her, a small smile on her lips now. "Dolt. Be grateful that I love you."

"I love you too, Snowflake." Wait a minute, why does that shirt suddenly looks so big on her? And why do her eyes look so hollow.

"Then why did you let my father take me, Ruby?" Weiss asks weakly as she stands in front of her. She looks gaunt, almost boney, causing Ruby to gasp.

"Weiss! Are you ok?" She asks as she struggles to get out of the bed they share. But it feels as if arms are wrapped her waist. A pair of strong, muscular arms that refuse to let her go.

"Ruby, why?" Weiss pants out as her tail hangs limply, her ears plastered to her head as she continues to shrivel up before her. Her cheeks are flushed, and she is sweating. "Why did you betray me, Ruby? I thought you loved me!"

"I do love you Weiss! Weiss! Don't leave me!" She struggles to reach out to the wolf faunus desperately, but those same muscular arms are pinning her own down. "Weiss!" She shrieks in desperation.

"You betrayed me Ruby! You betrayed me for him!" Weiss groans as she falls to her knees, her hair falling out in clumps, the fur on her ears and tail doing the same thing. Ruby watches on in horror as her skin begins to stretch against her very bones and turn to the color of ashes. "I thought you loved me?"

Ruby puts up a mighty fight with every ounce of her strength, even as she screams and pleads with Weiss to not leave her, that the kiss, the marriage to Jaune was a mistake. That it was a complete misunderstanding. But it is to no avail as the white wolf faunus collapses on the floor gasping for air and trying to claw her way to her with nails that scrape loudly against the floor.

"I thought you loved me….." Weiss gasps out with her final breath, as the light leaves her eyes.

"There, now your mine and only mine Ruby Arc." Jaune's voice rings out behind her. Ruby turns slowly and stares at Jaune as she starts to scream…

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Ruby! Ruby wake up!" Ruby's screams still fill the passenger area of the bullhead, as of all people, Whitley Schnee shakes her gently, a small smirk on his face.

Groaning, Ruby stares at him with blurry eyes. "Where?"

"Back in the air." He explains. "I came on board at the border with a fresh flight crew. You were asleep, and I didn't wish to wake you." He continues as he sits back and adjusts the black rapier at his hip.

"So, I rated a guard huh? And here I thought this would be a private flight." Ruby croaks out as she rises and makes her way to the small bathroom on board to relieve herself. Leaving the door open, she sits and sighs in relief as she lights a cigarette, enjoying the sensation of the nicotine entering her system. "What do you want Whit?"

"What? I simply cannot come and say hello to my sister's former lover and my mentor?" There it was, the shot in the heart she was expecting. He must not be very happy to be here either if he is starting this early with her. Fuck.

"No, no you can't." Ruby answers him as she stays seated, dragging it out as long as possible. "Especially since you love to rub Weiss in my face." She doesn't bother to conceal her disgust of the former Heir to the SDC. Faunus or not, he is still a disgrace and Ruby hated every moment of training him to be a Huntsman during the war.

"But of course, Ruby Arc." Only Whitley can make her former last name sound like an insult. "After all, I'm the one having to waste my perfectly good time to babysit a disgrace like you." Touché, you little douchebag. Point to you, again.

"Please, don't put yourself out on my account Shitley. I would hate for you to tarnish your perfect little record." Ruby counters, knowing how pathetic she really sounds. She doesn't have a verbal leg to stand on anymore with the younger man.

Whitley sighs. "Enough Ruby. I'm not here for one of our normal verbal jousts."

Ruby raises an eyebrow, even as she stands up finally. "Then what do you want Whit? I don't really have anything left for anyone to take."

"I want Myrtenaster, Ruby." She can feel her heart break just a bit more. "It's time it found a place of honor with Frost." Winter's saber. Now there was a good woman, Ruby genuinely looked up to the Altesian specialist, and was genuinely saddened when she was executed.

Walking out of the bathroom, Ruby looks at Whitley, who isn't even paying her a bit of attention. Instead, he's looking out the viewport and….. "Are you crying?"

"My wife Sarah is pregnant." He finally answers her. "And because of my Father's sins, because of my entire family's sins, they will never get to know their aunts. They will only know of Winter, Weiss and Willow from stories that I cannot tell because I wasted my life hating them instead of being a family. All because of Jacques."

Ruby can't help but sit down across from him. This is the first time she has ever heard of all of this from him, and they worked together and fought together for years. And Willow, the mysterious sister who's mere mention would always bring Weiss to tears. The one who wielded a black rapier… "Talk to me Whitley. I… I'm not a complete monster you know."

She watches as he takes a deep breath and releases it slowly, even as he reaches into a pocket and pulls out a broken tiara. "This is all I have of Weiss. She left it behind when you saved her." Moving his hand down to the hilt of the rapier, his tears increase as he he grips it tightly. "And Schwarznaster is all that is left of Willow. I can barely even remember her anymore." He pauses as he looks up at Ruby. "Does that make me a horrible brother, Ruby? Does this mean I will be a horrible father like Jacques?"

Ruby sits next to him. "No Whit. No it doesn't." She takes a deep breath. "We all have our sins hanging over our heads. You and I, even Sarah and the others who fought and who died. We all did and said things we will never be proud of." She smiles sadly as she lays both her hands on his, taking note of the calluses from wielding the black twin of the rapier currently in her sister's care back home. "I will never ever forgive myself for Weiss. Never."

Whitley looks thoughtful as he looks out the viewport. "Neither will I Ruby. Neither will I." The two of them sit together for a while, eventually dozing off as the bullhead keeps winging over the forests and mountains of Mistral like an arrow towards its target.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Welcome back to Mistral." The young huntsman greets them both as they step off the bullhead. "Lord Arc is expecting the both of you."

Whitley nods as he looks around. "Is my wife here?" He asks quietly.

"I'm afraid not sir. She is detained with her own duties to Lord Arc." The younger man replies with a slight frown. "They are having a dispute as always."

Whitley groans. "Between us Ruby, Sarah hates Jaune even worse than she hates you. And that alone is saying a good bit."

Ruby blinks in surprise. "Someone topped me at the top of her shit list?! I never thought it would be possible!"

The huntsman nods. "Lord Arc is losing popularity Lady Rose." He adds as he addresses her properly, another point in his favor. "Rumor has it the council is growing tired of his heavy handed tactics and being constantly reminded that he is a war hero."

Ruby and Whitley both snort at that last remark. "A war hero my ass. He stayed here, where it's safe, while I got all the blood on my hands."

Whitley nods. "For once, we actually agree on something." He looks at the young man. "You seem remarkably well informed for just a Huntsman.

The younger man just grins. "To be honest sir, the only hunting I do as of late is for my girlfriend. But she's a page for Lord Nikos, and she has a really big mouth, even for a rabbit Faunus."

Ruby groans. "Sasha Scarlatina. That must make you Thorn Herondale." She remembers the young woman from the war. She fought valiantly and bravely in the war, even though she was just a child really. Ruby isn't that surprised that Augustus was using her as his personal page, the young woman was lethal in close quarters combat, and her Gravity semblance easily turned the tables in many a battle. Add in the fact that the girl could ferret out information from just about any source she desired, as well as the fact that she is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful women in the world these days, and she was everything Augustus needs to… oh.

"Huntsman Herondale." She addresses the young man formally, smiling as she sees his chest puff out in pride. "I need a private word with Huntress Scarlatina as soon as she is available."

"Of course, Lady Rose. Sasha will be thrilled to see you again." He replies even as he takes out his scroll. "Oh, which reminds me ma'am, Lord Tanager wants a word with you as well."

Ruby turns pale as even Whitley stares in shock and surprise. Gorri Tanager, the head of Red Bird Industries and the most powerful and influential faunus in the world, wants a word with Ruby?

"Fuck." She mumbles under her breath.

Whitley nods. "You certainly are fucked." He agrees. "Especially since he has never forgiven you for Lissa's death in the war."

 _Another sin I bare. Weiss, no wonder you will never forgive me….._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Jaune Arc is not amused. Instead of being at the airship docks to greet his runaway wife, he is being hounded by the arctic fox faunus that even now is blocking his path.

"Move, or I will move you." He growls as he looks down at Sarah LeBlanc-Schnee. He doesn't have time for this. He needs to secure Ruby's support in order to sway the council back to his side.

"I think not." The woman glares back at him, her violet purple eyes full of disdain for him, even as one of her hands finger the handle of her cleaver on her back. "You have more important affairs to deal with. Besides," the woman smirks at him. "We both know she would sooner kill you than speak to you."

Jaune has to concede that point to her. It's well known that Ruby loathes him, all because of that one night, and their marriage was a complete and total sham. The only point he has there is that Ruby ran off before having the babies, and he has never once even seen them, since she keeps them in hiding from the public eye, as well as his spies. But he groans inwardly as the grey haired fox faunus clears her throat.

"Now, you are aware that the vote comes up in two days. Augustus and Gorri are gaining popularity, especially among the common folk. So I hope you have one hell of a plan."

Jaune nods as he walks back to his desk and sits down heavily. "I do. But I need to talk to Ruby. I…. I still trust her opinion above anyone else's. Even though I've wronged her more than anyone else in this world save one."

Sarah looks at him with a raised eyebrow, even as she finally lowers her hand from _Widowmaker._ "You realize that is an understatement. Even I hate you, and that takes a lot." She remarks calmly as she sits in her own customary seat at her own desk.

"Why?" He suddenly asks as he turns to look out his dust reinforced window. "Why do you hate me so much?"

"You killed my best friend." She tells him without a moment's hesitation, an undisguised look of hatred on her face. "And I will never, ever forgive you."

"Who was your friend?" He asks quietly, even as he keeps staring outside. He already knows the answer, but he wants, no needs to hear it for himself.

"Weiss Schnee." She replies bitterly as she turns away from him.

Jaune sighs. Another person who rightly blames him for Weiss. Goddess but does he regret that kiss. He ruined so many lives that night. Ruby's, Nora's, and Weiss's. He has so much blood on his hands from his actions. Blood that will never wash off. But if all goes according to his plans, that will soon change. Not the guilt, not the blood, but he can make amends to Ruby, as well as Weiss.

Now, if only he can find a way to speak to Ruby Rose….

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hey everyone, Win here with a small note. First, I am sorry for the delay. Life has been fairly hectic as of late, and I am just now getting back into the swing of things. Second, Thorn Herondale and Gorri Tanager are being used with permission from Akiruo, who is a good friend as well as a cow Ritter of my mine. Sarah LeBlanc and Sasha Scarlatina are my own OC characters. Expect to see them pop up soon in my other stories from time to time. Otherwise, happy reading! And thank you all again for all your wonderful support!


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

-Nineteen Years Ago-

Willow Noir Schnee sighs as she hears her Father's rage filled voice call for her yet again. She has never understood why he loves to attempt to demean and belittle her like he does her siblings. She couldn't help that she was born with midnight black hair and ruby red eyes, it was just a slight genetic quirk that she embraced.

Or perhaps it was just a living reminder of the fact that Jacques himself is not a genetic Schnee either.

As if she has time to worry about that now. She has to help Whitley raise his math grades before their Father comes down on him in his normal, heavy handed ways. He is fairly far behind, and Willow refuses to see him fail.

She refuses to see him punished like she constantly is.

"Remember little brother, you have to show your work properly. Otherwise your tutor will mark it incorrect." She reminds him as she taps a pencil on his paper. "And I know you loathe that woman just as much as I did when I had her."

Whitley groans as his head hits the desk. "This is too hard, Noiry! Why do I need to take such advanced classes anyway?! I'm not you or Weiss!"

The older girl sighs as she ruffles his hair gently. "I know, Whit. That's why I'm helping you instead of sparring with Weiss right now. She still has a long way to go to get to my level as a swordswoman."

He smiles as he looks up at his beloved older sister. "That's because you're amazing, Noiry! Why aren't you the heiress instead of Weiss?"

Willow sighs as she looks at him, a sad smile on her face. "Because I am not perfect in father's eyes, Whit. I am a harsh reminder of the fact that mother is the true Schnee, not him."

"But that isn't fair Noiry!" Whitley cries out. "You love the company more than Weiss! It's your dream to take it over, not hers!"

"Shhhh, be careful saying that out loud Whit." She cautions him as she lays a gentle finger on his lips. "The walls have ears you know."

"I don't care! I'm tired of him being so mean to you and Weiss!" He protests as he hugs her tightly, tears forming in his eyes.

"So am I." She reassures him as she rubs his back gently, her head laying on his between his wolf's ears that even now are laying flat on his head. "Hopefully things will change soon."

Before another word can be said, the doors to the study are thrown open, startling them both. Jacques stands before them, a look of sheer rage on his features. "May I ask why you are not sparring with your sister, Willow?" He asks, adding so much malice to her name, her ears rise as she growls softly.

"Weiss declined my assistance today. She claimed she could accomplish more training on her own." She replies as she stands, turning as she does to shield Whitley. "So I decided to focus my energy elsewhere where they could be more useful." She can feel her tail rising in challenge as she keeps glaring back at him. She can feel her hate and disgust for him swelling up from her heart and her soul, and it was a struggle to not summon Kong to rip him in two. But she will not bring harm to Whitley. That would make her no better than him.

She would sooner die than sink to father's level.

It was no surprise to her when he covered the short distance to her almost as quick as the blink of an eye. She could taste the blood in her mouth as his heavy backhanded blow strikes her face. Nothing new, she actually relishes the pain now. It's a grim reminder that she is stronger than him. That she will never break and run like Winter did. That she will never cower to him like Weiss does now.

That she, Willow Noir Schnee will protect the only innocent life left in this manor with her own life if she must. She refuses to let Whitley grow up to be like Him!

With a growl, she catches his hand before his next blow hits, one that would have easily sent her flying. "Shall we take this to your study, Father? I believe it is time for us to have a private word."

No more! She will not let Whitley see anymore! No matter what happens next!

Jacques smirks as he wrenches his arm free. "Indeed, it's time for you to learn your place, freak. And that is firmly under my heel." He declares as he turns and leaves, his head held high even as he radiates enough menace to make her growl once more.

Enough, she needs to see to Whitley. Turning around, she smiles as she kneels low enough to look him in the eyes. "Are you ok, little wolf?" She asks soothingly as she rubs his ears, which are firmly plastered to his head now.

Whitley just nods as he sniffles. "I'm scared, Noiry. I've never seen him so angry before."

Willow sighs as she stands. "Neither have I. I fear I may have finally pushed him too far." She answers him, her tone filled with regret. Moving her hands to her waist, she unbuckles her sword belt as she smiles down at him. "Do you remember the name of my rapier, little wolf?"

Whitley smiles as he wipes his tears away. "Uh huh, it's Schwarznaster!" He answers her enthusiastically. "It means Black Flowers in Altesian!"

"Very good!" She replies calmly, even as she holds it close, as if for the last time. "It's my most treasured possession, even more than my plushie collection." Sighing, she holds it out to the younger boy. "Will you hold it until I get back? I don't want father to think I am there to cause him any harm."

Whitley nods as he solemnly takes the rapier and holds it against his chest. "It's really heavy!" He giggles.

"Because it holds my oaths that I made, Whit. To always protect this family, to always fight for what is right, and to uphold our honor." She tells him as she rises up and stands tall, despite the fact that she is barefoot and barely four feet, six inches tall. "Oaths that I am willing to sacrifice my very life for if I must."

Whitley nods. "I promise to take care of Schwarznaster, Willow." He tells her, a serious look on his face as he looks up at his favorite, and most beloved sister. "And to take up your oaths!"

Willow giggles as she ruffles his hair. "Good, keep the faith little Wolf. We shall restore honor to Grandfather's company, and we shall do it properly." She tells him as she leans down and kisses his forehead. "The Goddess of Light's blessings upon you, Whitley. I'll be back." She tells him before turning and walking out the doors, her own head held high in pride.

But all the blessings in the world couldn't stop the terror from entering his heart and soul when Weiss begins to scream in pain. They are so loud, so blood curdling he runs to his room and hides under his bed, his hands clutched to his ears as he wraps his thin frame around Schwarznaster. But when Weiss's screaming reaches a fever pitch, he too opens his mouth to scream….

"Whitley?" Sarah calls out as she searches their modest apartment not far from the Capital building of Mistral. They can barely afford it as it is, even with the discounts they receive for being an aid to a Council member and a licensed and active huntsman. But she is also secretly convinced that their last name has a lot to do with it.

Even after so long, the Schnee last name is still universally loathed, despised, and discriminated against.

Whitley asks her constantly if she has any regrets about marrying him, which she doesn't. He constantly asks if she is being picked on, or degraded. She isn't, but carrying a short handled war cleaver on her back at all times tends to keep that from happening. Her only regret? Finding out about Weiss too late to save her.

She and Weiss trained for two solid years to improve her swordswoman ship. They talked a good bit and got close, yet something always kept her from becoming sisterly close. And that something was a ghost from her past named Willow.

To have a twin sister that she just lost when she was brought in to spar and train with her is one thing. Sarah always believed the story that she had simply run off, another family member driven away by Jacques Schnee and his blatant disregard for the faunus. But when she discovered the truth, she had been horrified.

Jacques Schnee had beaten his own daughter to death, then ordered her to simply be disposed of.

Whitley had taken her with him, along with Nora Valkyrie and Alexander Garibaldi to retrieve her from her final resting place: a shallow grave in the middle of nowhere in the far northern regions of Atlas. She had been discarded like trash, and her frozen corpse was still marred by the violence of her death.

Whitley had sobbed, Alexander had been furious, but Nora? Nora had treated her with a gentleness normally reserved for family or close loved ones. It was the Thunder Goddess that had dug her up and placed her gently in a coffin, and it was the Mountain who saw her quietly cremated by a old trusted friend. And it was she herself who comforted Whitley as he mourned for a sister whom he could barely remember anymore.

She can only hope Jacques Schnee is burning in hell, his punishment being meted out by the Goddess of Darkness herself. He deserves no less for his crimes against her people.

Which now leads her into the small living room they never use. She sighs in relief as she spots him sitting on the couch, staring at the only thing that is in there other than furniture: his sister's urn. She can easily see the tears falling down his face, she can easily hear the hiccuping sobs coming from him, and so she rushes to him. She hates to see him like this. Whitley Schnee is a good man, and he shouldn't be suffering like he is.

Again, another reason to hope against hope that Jacques is burning in hell. But enough of that, she needs to get him calmed down. His depression always sets off his PTSD, and she barely sleeps on the nights when he relives his reeducation at Jacques' hands. "Hey, are you ok?" She asks softly as she sits next to him, grateful she is just two months along and still able to curl up as she likes.

"She used to call me Little Wolf." He replies brokenly as he keeps staring at the urn, a small black snowflake pendant it's only adornment.

Sarah can only blink in surprise, amazed at the sudden revelation. For years now, he and his therapist have been trying to help him reconcile his past. To move past everything Jacques instilled in him so he can finally stand on his own as his own person. But it has been so hard for him to remember anything before his father took him under his wing. As if he didn't want to remember.

"She was helping me with my math. She… she shielded me from seeing father hit her." He continues as the tears flow unchecked from his eyes. "She asked me to keep Schwarznaster safe for her." His sobs worsen as Sarah pulls him down towards her, resting his head on her chest as she strokes his head and ears.

"She told me that her sword was heavy with the burdens she took on for herself, Sarah! I promised her to uphold them as well!" He suddenly rages as she keeps him held close, her slender fingers moving gently across the wolf's ears that he refuses to raise. But even she is moved to tears as he calms a bit, clinging to her still slim figure.

"I failed her, Sarah. I became a monster no better than Father. I failed the one person in my life other than you that cared about me, that gave a damn about me!" She can feel his fists clench as he wraps them around her nightshirt, and now she is beginning to worry. She's never seen him like this, no matter how badly the nightmares affect him during a flare up.

"Whitley, please tell me why? Why now after all these years?" She asks him softly as she keeps stroking his ears gently. Hopefully she doesn't have to go kill someone. She isn't very subtle, even if she is careful going about it. An unfortunate side effect of using a cleaver as a weapon.

"Ruby." His answer was simple, even if very surprising. "She had a nightmare on the Bullhead. She kept screaming for Weiss, screaming that she loves her and to not leave her alone."

Sarah hums as she considers this. She hates Ruby Rose on general principle alone. She was a horrid leader, always too concerned with arguing with Jaune and the council to pay as much attention as she should have to her own responsibilities. That and she blames Ruby as well as Jaune for Weiss's death. But, could she be wrong?

Sarah LeBlanc-Schnee needs to have a word with Sasha Scarlatina. The only known survivor of the Scarlatina family of Menagerie has taken up the family business of being information brokers, and she needs answers. Especially with this newest revelation. She is starting to wonder just how responsible Ruby was for so many sins that have fallen on her shoulders, burdens that she perhaps should not have to bear…

Knock knock knock.

Sasha Scarlatina is not a morning person. At all. Even her long time boyfriend Thorn learned quickly not to wake her up in the mornings before leaving for hunts or his various other duties. Augustus Nikos learned years ago not to expect her before noon. Ever.

But currently she muffles a string of curses as she wraps up tighter in her brown comforter while wishing she didn't have two sets of ears. As a rabbit faunus, she has fantastic hearing that has come in handy for many different situations. From fighting Grimm, to hearing secrets whispered in shadowy corners her sense of hearing keeps her alive and gainfully employed as an information broker.

Knock knock knock knock.

With a groan she reaches one tanned hand out from underneath her blanket and pats around on her nightstand for her scroll. Finally discovering it, she glares angrily at it with chocolate brown eyes as she sees the time: six am.

What the hell?! Who the fuck is knocking this fucking early?!

Unrolling from her blanket, she sighs as she stretches slowly to her full height of five foot six while still laying down. Looking at the ceiling, she groans once more as she listens to the knocking continue.

Knock knock knock knock knock.

Grumbling once more as she swings her shapely legs over the side of her bed, she smiles as she sees Thorn's imprint on his side of the bed. Taking a deep breath, her smile brightens a bit at the familiar scent of him filling her senses with his warm, earthy scent. But her smile falters as the knocking begins again.

Knock knock knock knock knock knock.

"I am going to stab someone for this." She mutters as she stands and starts wrapping her naked form in a nightgown. Catching a glimpse of herself in a full length mirror, she stops and looks for a moment with a critical eye as she slowly lets her gown fall to the floor. She looks a lot like her older sister Velvet, with her full breasted chest and plump rear. But like most of the war veterans, she has her fair share of scars, most notably a series of slashing wounds across her hips and thighs along with a savage bite wound on her side. But the Ursas that did all this to her came out much worse than she did. Much much worse.

Knock knock knock knock knock knock knock.

With renewed grumbling, she stoops long enough to pick up her discarded robe and slide it back on before wandering into the kitchen. Looking around, she smiles as she sees a full can of coffee sitting on the counter, along with a small bow on top. Goddess but I love that man! She thinks to herself as she ignores the renewed knocking at the door. Almost skipping in joy, she quickly moves to the coffee can and opens it with a deep breath, followed by a satisfied sigh.

Whoever it is, they can wait a minute. She thinks to herself as she measures out the life giving grinds into her elderly, yet still efficient coffee machine. Looking around, she makes sure that her sword breaker, Fluffy Bunny, is still in its sheath before finally making her way towards the door. "Keep your fucking panties on, will ya?" She yells as she puts a hand on her shortsword's handle, while her foot long ears swivel in an attempt to listen out for any possible dangers.

Only one person has the balls to wake her up this early in the morning. And that one person is quite possibly the only human left other than Thorn she still respects. She heard that she was back, left no choice but to return to Mistral City by her ex. But why?! Why is she a morning person?!

And of course, her suspicions are confirmed a second later as she hears a familiar and welcomed huff. "I have to wear them first!" Her footlong ears twitch as she smiles before opening the door and yanking the older woman inside and into a tight hug.

"Goddesses above, but I've missed you boss!" She whispers as she hugs Ruby Rose tightly, smiling brightly as she feels the Reaper return the hug.

"I've missed you too, Sasha." Ruby says gruffly as she pulls away and looks at her. "It's not fair, you turned out to be so damned beautiful. Just as beautiful as your sister."

Sasha's smile falters a bit. "The Goddess bless her soul, but I miss her." She says as her ears droop down to sit on her burning red hair, a huge difference from Velvet's chocolate brown locks. "I gave up a year ago. Even my sources in the Fang said she's dead and gone."

Ruby nods as she takes a pack of cigarettes out of her pocket and lights one. "I can't blame you. I don't doubt Blake fell there as well."

Sasha shakes her head as she walks behind her marble top counter and puts an ashtray out for her. "Blake's alive. She goes by the moniker Slayer of the Mad Bull now. It's why I was hoping Velvet was alive as well."

Ruby looks thoughtful as she flicks her ashes off and watches the young rabbit faunus fix a cup of coffee for her and Ruby both. "Then don't give up Sasha. They were good friends at Beacon, and they wouldn't have left the other to die. Not without good reason."

Sasha sighs. "I can't really spare any more of my sparse resources to keep searching. Not with Lord Nikos having me dig up everything I can to stick a Rhinox sized barbed wire dildo up his ass." She tells Ruby as she sits next to her and hands her her cup. "Two creams, five sugars."

Ruby smiles her thanks as she sets the half smoked cigarette in the ashtray and takes the cup. "What do you have?"

"Not much." She admits. "Beacon lost all their prewar records, the rest of his family and all his pre-Beacon friends are dead. All I can come up with on my own is some questionable emails between him and a few women of the night, and a strange deposit in his bank account towards the end of the war."

Ruby nods as she smirks. "Then I'm glad I snuck out so early." She says as she sets her coffee cup down and reaches under her blouse, retrieving an old, slightly abused flash drive. "I have something Augustus can use to sink him. But I need something in return." She starts to laugh as Sasha squeals in delight.

"If it gets him off my ass, I will happily sleep with you if you want!" She declares as she reaches for it, just to have it snatched away at the last second by a now grinning Ruby.

"Tell me why Gorri is looking for me, and it's all yours." Ruby teases her as she holds it just out her reach.

Cursing the fact that the older woman is much taller than her, she huffs and folds her arms stubbornly across her ample chest. "Info first, otherwise no deal."

Ruby chuckles as she takes her scroll out and loads the flash drive. "You know how Jaune always claims to be a legitimate student from Beacon?"

Sasha nods cautiously as she looks at the screen, a gleam of joy entering her eyes. "Wait, is this?"

Ruby nods. "His application paper to Beacon. See the problem with it?" She asks with a wicked smile on her face, one that begins to grow on Sasha's as well.

"He might as well have filled this thing out in crayon!" She squeals in delight. "This alone would spell his doom!"

Ruby nods as she removes the flash drive and hands it over. "What does Gorri want with me?"

Sasha takes it with a nod, slipping it into a pocket in her robes. "He wants your support to bring Jaune down. He thinks you owe it to the faunus after the stunt you pulled with Cinder Fall. Even though we both know different on that one boss."

Ruby sighs as she leans back in her chair, a fresh cigarette between her lips. "So basically he wants to use me too? I'm so tired of it. That's why I left after divorcing Jaune."

Sasha nods as she sips at her coffee. "Yup. And you can still trust me there. All those secrets are still mine and mine alone." Of course Ruby trusts the rabbit faunus. Sasha was and still is the one faunus that didn't turn her back on her after what they consider the Great Betrayal. She is probably the one person left in the world Ruby can still count on for anything.

"Sasha, how much do you like it here in Mistral?"

Sasha blinks at the sudden question. It's something that they both talk about often during their evenings together at home, away from prying eyes and ears. "Thorn and I both hate it here. But we don't have the money to leave, and nowhere to go either." The younger woman answers honestly.

Ruby smiles as she reaches in the pocket of her cloak and put out a Lien card. "Join me in Vale, both of you. Glynda needs good Huntsmen and Huntresses who she can rely on. And she still accepts my word somewhat." She explains as she sets the card on the counter and slides it to her. "And no is not an answer.

Sasha ignores the card, instead she pulls the older woman into a tight hug as she begins to cry tears of joy. "Thank you Ruby! Thank you so much! You don't know how much this means to us!"

Sasha starts to sob as she clings tightly to Ruby. Finally, she can travel to Vale, the one place she hasn't been able to search for her big sister. And either she'll succeed in finding her, or finally give up and find some closure. Either way, she is getting the hell out of Mistral with Thorn as quickly as possible. Just as soon as she hands this info over to Augustus Nikos.


	6. Chapter Six

Ruby Rose moves swiftly as she leaves Sasha's apartment with a small smile. She has always adored the younger woman, and did her best to shield her from the full horrors of the war. She had even gone so far as to invent an excuse to send her back to Mistral before the final assault on Salem's fortress.

It was the last good thing she can honestly remember doing for a long time after words.

Enough. She knows who all the major players are here in Mistral now, thanks to a loose lipped waitress who couldn't believe she was actually talking to THE Ruby Rose, Sasha and her excellent sources, and taking fifteen minutes to search for information on the the Remnant Wide Net. Sasha will no doubt hand that flash drive over to Augustus Nikos in exchange for being released from her current contract, and that gets her out of this particular snake pit.

But Gorri Tanager is a different story. Ruby knows exactly who he is. He once fought for her as well, part of a team led by his twin brother Kore Eclectus and the Garibaldi twins. A team she helped destroy by a moment of indecisiveness that Jaune capitalized on. Thus staining her own hands in even more blood.

And he wants to speak to her? Fuck.

Mistral City is a blur as she easily uses her silver eyed powered semblance to dash across rooftops and structures alike to avoid slamming into pedestrians and vehicles alike until she reaches her destination, The Code and The Measure Inn. Coming to a stop, she watches idly as rose petals as black as her heart swirl around her until the dissipate into nothingness. Just like her. A nothing. No one of any real importance anymore.

Just a failure with blood stained hands.

Making her way to street level, she is pleasantly surprised to find a small cafe already open for business across the street from the inn. Sitting down, she soon finds herself indulging in an excellent cup of mocha flavored coffee and a cigarette as she watches the news on her scroll while she waits. Today is a very important day after all, today is the day she watches Jaune burn in hell for what he did all those years ago. And she will be right there, holding the matches and the gasoline. And if she burns as well? So be it.

She firmly believes that she should burn for her own sins. Maybe then Weiss will finally forgive her…..

Gorri Tanager yawns as he sits up in bed and stretches before turning the stupid alarm clock off. Muttering a bit, he shakes his head to clear away the last of the medications he uses to sleep before standing as quietly as possible, so as not to wake the sleeping figure beside him.

Neon hates being woken up so early. She hates it when he has to get up at all, but he has a company to run. Someone has to keep the dust mines of Vacuo and Vale running, so the warriors fighting to reclaim Mantle can keep on fighting. And she does understand in the long run. Her duties as the leader of the White Fang branch in Mistral keep her busy, sometimes so busy it can be months before they even remember to communicate with each other. Possibly another reason why they have never become more than lovers.

Smiling at her sleeping form as she curls up to his pillow, he moves quietly to the bathroom and shuts the door before turning on the light. The harsh, unforgiving mirror of course quickly reminds him of why he hates leaving Vacuo, as it reveals his various scars along his broad chest and shoulders, as well as his face. Especially his face. He knows where each and every scar on his face came from, as well as his missing wolf's ear.

He survived while his twin brother didn't. Tortured to death by Tyrian Gallows. Gorri had been forced to watch while the scorpion faunus had tormented, beaten and performed acts of unexplainable cruelty to Kore. It had taken him hours to finally break free from the chains binding him to a wall.

Kore had been dead for those same hours, hanging from a set of chains hanging from the ceiling. His eyes were frozen open, the pain he had been in still reflected in them.

Tyrian had made one mistake though. He never took Gorri's weapon out of the room. A mistake he paid for when he returned and found the wolf faunus waiting for him, Hammer already in its axe configuration and a look of hate in his eyes.

They fought for the better part of an hour. Gorri's roars intermingling with the mad faunus's giggles and laughs. But despite all his wounds, despite losing one sensitive ear, Gorri's rage conquered Tyrian, and Gorri emerged victorious if badly injured.

That is when Ruby Rose and Alexander Garibaldi found him. They were searching for survivors together when they came across Gorri, who was stumbling while trying to drag his brother out. He wouldn't leave Kore behind. Not in this place. He had already lost the love of his life, now his brother, and he will be damned if he leaves him here.

Ruby allowed him to leech off her aura with his Vampire semblance. Alexander himself gathered Kore up in his powerful arms, promising that he won't be left behind. Not after all he had suffered. The two of them got him out of Salem's cursed fortress that day. And he owes Ruby Rose a debt.

But now, he has to indebt himself further to her. He needs her support desperately. Jaune Arc is determined to drive the faunus into Vacuo now, and he has to stop him.

His people are already weak, and the White Fang is rumbling again. And no one needs another mad bull. Adam almost single-handedly destroyed the faunus, all for revenge against Blake Belladonna.

Looking back at himself in the mirror, he schools his features into an impassive mask. He has business to conduct here in Mistral, chief among which is speaking to Ruby Rose. And if that fails, and Jaune stays in power? He looks at Hammer, which is leaning on the wall next to the door. The powerful weapon, along with the ring hanging from a chain by the trigger guard, are all he has left of the woman he still loves and mourns after all these years.

Melissa Garibaldi had taken his weapon and turned it into a work of art during their days together in Haven. She as well as her twin sister Melody had been he and his brother's teammates during training. But it had taken a war breaking out for him to realize his feelings for her.

She died in her father's arms, while he held her hand and begged her to stay. But he refuses to blame Ruby like everyone else, including Gracie. He knows the real truth. He had been standing next to her when that bastard son of a boarbatusk had ordered them both back out with their makeshift teams.

His eyes narrow dangerously as he keeps looking at his weapon, focusing on the simple engagement ring that will never adorn the hand it was meant for. He will take matters into his own two hands if he must, but one way or another Jaune Arc will pay for Lissa's death.

Either by losing his power, or losing his life….

Ruby checks the time yet again as she keeps an eye on the door to the inn. All the talk on the news is about the bitter infighting within the council, the upcoming vote to impeach Jaune, blah blah blah blah. Boring. Nothing new at all. Well the local blitzball team won a game, but otherwise nothing new to report.

"Ruby." Just the way her name is spoken makes her cringe. It reminds her of Glynda getting onto her for making another bad call in combat class, or another bad decision during the war. Looking up, she gets scared at the sight of the familiar fox faunus before her, war cleaver in hand and a twisted smile on her face.

"Sarah." Shit! Not now! Not yet! She needs to bring Jaune down first. And by the gleam in Sarah's eyes, she is extremely dead. "Care to join me? They make an excellent mocha coffee here."

To her surprise, the other woman sits down calmly as she sets her cleaver down on the table between them. "Weapon where I can see it, Ruby. Now."

Ruby nods as she takes Crescent Rose from her back and sets it on the table in front of her. "What can I do for you Sarah?" She asks calmly as she exerts a massive amount of control to calm herself back down.

"Weiss." She replies calmly. "I'm here for Myrtenaster. And unlike Whitley, I am not taking no for an answer."

Ruby takes a deep breath and releases it slowly. "No."

"I'm sorry, did I not speak clearly enough?" Sarah growls as she sits still. "I said no is not an option."

"And I said no. Myrtenaster is mine." Ruby repeats herself as she finally spots Gorri out of the corner of her eye and begins to stand. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to."

And of course, the cleaver is up in an instant and at her throat. "I want that sword! It doesn't belong to a traitorous bitch like you!" Ruby can feel her eyes already beginning to flare as a growl emerges from her chest. But before either of them can make the next move, a massive fist cuffs Sarah in the head.

"That's enough, you're causing a scene." Gorri tells Sarah as he easily takes the cleaver from her hands and sets it back on the table. "Sit down, both of you." He orders. "Or I will make you sit down."

Both women sit down slowly, Sarah still in a rage, Ruby grateful for his intervention. She hasn't slept since the bullhead flight here, and she is reaching her limits now. Looking at the taller man, she has to admit he still cuts an impressive figure in his business suit, Hammer slung over one shoulder as a reminder that he is still a licensed Huntsman in Vacuo. But Ruby can see it in his eyes: the deep exhaustion of a man constantly pushed to his limits and doing his best not to fall apart.

"Ruby? Do you have a minute to talk before I let the two of you go back to killing each other?" Ruby blinks at the question, as if it's almost a foreign concept to talk instead of simply fighting it out. She nods as she focus back on the matter at hand: her mission to destroy Jaune.

"I heard you were looking for me." She replies verbally as she relaxes herself.

Gorri nods. "You're well informed. Especially since I've only told one person I'm looking for you. I take it you've already made contact?"

Ruby nods. Here we go, let the political games begin. Yay. "What do you want, Gorri? Me to speak on your behalf? I doubt I would make it out of the Grand Hall alive before a faunus lynch mob comes after me." She tells him bluntly as she lights another cigarette. Might as well enjoy it, since Sarah's ready to behead her the second he leaves.

Gorri chuckles as he shakes his head. "Menagerie is an old wound. One that the faunus need to stop blaming you for." He replies in a similarly blunt fashion as he raises a hand to get a waitress's attention. The young faunus woman smiles and nods as she vanishes into the back. "Have either of you ladies tried the waffles here? My son loves them. It's why we stay here, despite the fact that it's the best hotel in Mistral now." He chats idly.

Ruby shakes her head as she raises her cup. "Liquid breakfast still. With a nicotine chaser." She adds as she holds up her cigarette, causing Sarah to snort in disgust.

Gorri raises an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, did Ruby say something to offend you?" He asks.

"Her existence offends me." The arctic fox replies, the disgust she feels for Ruby clear as day. "She betrayed the Faunus, defended that bitch Fall, and caused Weiss to vanish."

Gorri nods. "True. True enough. She also fought a war, avenged Menagerie, saved many lives, and if my hunch is right, is here to finally right a great wrong." He counters. "Isn't that right, Ruby?" He asks as he looks at her.

Ruby can only nod, not used to this kind of scrutiny anymore. "Yeah. Yeah I am."

Gorri chuckles as the waitress returns with what is obviously his usual, a pair of delicious looking waffles, scrambled eggs, and enough bacon to feed all of them. "Then you and I have much to talk about, Ruby. Bacon?" He offers them both politely.

Sarah shakes her head as Ruby accepts an offered piece and nibbles at it. "What do you want?"

Gorri just smiles. "The truth, nothing more, nothing less. The truth of the night Jaune Arc kissed you and drove Weiss Schnee away into the night."

Ruby can feel her blood run cold as the piece of food falls from suddenly nerveless fingers. He knows. He knows about her greatest shame. The straw that broke team RNJR's back, destroyed several friendships, and made her lose the great love of her life. The only love of her life.

He knows.

But before she can say or do anything, Sarah's caustic remark cuts through her. "Why? All she's going to do is lie about it. She lies about anything to do with Weiss."

Gorri cuts her off with a glare. "Silence. I wasn't speaking to you." He tells her firmly before looking back at Ruby. "It's time Ruby. I'm so sorry for this, but I need to hear it for myself. I need to hear the truth of that night."

Ruby starts to tremble in shame. A deep, sorrowful shame from deep within her dead heart. Tears come to her eyes as she looks at Gorri and only Gorri as the words find their way up.

"We were drinking that night. It was really the only way I could tolerate Jaune anymore…."

"Oh for the love of the Goddesses, shut up about Weiss already Jaune!" Ruby growls angrily as she glares at him. The beers that she had used hard earned lien for were good and into her system now, and Ren was tending to Weiss. Something she would rather be doing if it wasn't for Jaune being a constant ass.

"No I will not Ruby. We made this big, huge journey to Atlas to rescue her, and she's half dead!" He counters. "You heard what Ozpin said, we have to cut our losses and get ready for a war!"

"I don't give a damn about a war, Jaune! I love Weiss, and she is my first and biggest priority! Got it?! And I'm not doing anything until she is better!" She hisses angrily at him. She's sick to death of having this same old argument with him and Ozpin both. Ever since they ran into Oscar and Qrow in Mistral, Jaune has been acting strangely. Almost as if he's been brainwashed by them.

Wait, why is he smiling? And why is he reaching behind his back? "Ruby, last chance. We don't need Weiss. Especially since it's obvious she's a broken animal now. We either ditch her, or else."

Ruby takes an involuntary step backwards as she reaches for a weapon that's missing. Shit! I left Crescent Rose with Nora! She realizes too late as he suddenly lunges at her faster than she's ever seen him move. Moving on instinct, she tries to dodge to the side to avoid him, but to no avail. Grabbing her by the corset, he pulls her with a grunt and slams her back first into a tree, knocking the breath out of her.

Groaning, she tries to throw a sloppy left cross at his face, but he deflects it easily as he grabs her by the corset yet again and slams her heavily into the coarse bark again, this time bouncing her head heavily against it and knocking her dizzy. She could feel herself getting lifted bodily once again and slammed into the solid oak once more, this time with enough force to shatter her aura. Groaning, she prepares herself for yet another blow, even as she flails weakly at him.

That is when she feels something go around her neck and close with a click. That is the same moment when she realizes that she is actually in danger. A lot of danger.

He… oh Goddess! He had Weiss's collar?!

The same collar they struggled for days to remove from the famished and weakened white wolf faunus girl. They had been forced to take turns in carrying her when the collar struck, leaving her screaming silently in pain as her aura struggled to protect her from the electric shocks coursing through her.

"Heel."

Ruby feels the electric shock course through her slim frame easily, her aura unable to rise to defend her. Nothing, and she can be certain about this, but nothing has ever hurt so badly before. Not even having her aura shattered by that crazy scorpion faunus or tanking those hits from the nuclavee hurt this badly.

Weiss! Help me! She screams, realizing too late that no one can hear her. Not unless…..

"Scream all you want, no one can hear you Ruby." Jaune tells her firmly. "Now it's time to get your priorities straight. We have a war to fight, and your going to be my pretty little figurehead. Or do I need to remind you of who's in control now?"

Ruby shakes her head, even as she looks around desperately for any way to escape. But they both hear the breaking of sticks and the crushing of leaves, along with a weak voice calling Ruby's name.

"Good. Here she comes. Shall we drive her off, Ruby? Show her that we don't need her?" He asks with a malicious grin on his features.

No! Please! Leave her alone! I'll do anything! Just leave Weiss out of this! She begs silently as tears stream down her face. And she meant it. Weiss has been hurt enough. She's suffered enough. If she has to make a deal with the Dark Brother himself, then so be it. But she won't see Weiss suffer anymore.

She wasn't expecting the sudden kiss. She can feel herself trying to pull back in disgust. She can feel the first real flames of hatred for Jaune igniting in her heart for him.

She can hear Weiss's gasp of shock. She can hear her running off. She can feel her heart breaking in two.

"Good girl. Now stay put right here. Let the useless doggie run away." He orders as he breaks the kiss and releases her to fall to the ground in tears. "Or else."

Ruby glares hatefully at him, even as she struggles not to move. She's seen first hand what the collar can do. And now she's it's newest victim? Oh Goddesses, why?!

"You will pay for this." She manages to croak out as she continues to cast him a look that promises vengeance.

Jaune just smirks. "This is my time now, Ruby. Cinder will pay for killing Pyrrha. Ozpin will pay for his part in her death, and you get to play the hero like you always wanted." Goddess but she wants to scratch his eyes out of his face. But she can't. But she will. Oh yes, one day she will see him BURN for this. But she wasn't expecting him to start chuckling, or for his final comment to strike her like one of her own bullets to the heart.

"You're going to be my beautiful little blood stained hero, while I become the real savior of the world."

"Ren was the first one to notice it the next day. He and Jaune got into a huge fight about it, but…" Her voice trails off. "Then he noticed Weiss was gone and it got forgotten about."

"And… and it never once came up again?!" Sarah asks in shock.

Ruby shakes her head. "We got word that Menagerie had been attacked and a bullhead came and got us. The next time it came up was on the eve of the assault to retake Haven Academy, after we had found Raven."

Sarah rubs a hand across her own throat slowly as she relaxes. "Goddess Ruby. I never once realized that choker was more than that. I….. oh Goddesses I'm so sorry."

"Gorri, how did you know?" Ruby asks quietly as she stares at the ground in pure shame.

Gorri sighs as he stays still, not daring to touch her while the wound is so fresh, so raw once again. "Lissa figured it out. She watched how you would react when he was around. When he touched you, tried to kiss you. Then she realized the choker you always wore wasn't a choker at all. She confronted him about it, and….."

"And it got her killed." Sarah whispers as she finishes the statement for him. Gorri looks at her and nods slightly, approving of the look of horror on her face. Good. She is beginning to realize Ruby's true role in the war. But he must finish this. He has to finish this, otherwise Jaune will find a way to stay in power. Something he can no longer allow.

"Ruby, who made the decision to try to retake Haven's campus that day? Was it you?" He asks her gently. Sarah's look of horror redoubles as she realizes just what day it was. The day Melissa Garibaldi as well as almost half their warriors, including Lie Ren, were killed.

"Jaune did. He told me to shut up or he would do it again. Bring me to heel. He had just punished me the night before for trying to sneak out to look for Weiss." She tells them both quietly. "To remember my place as his blood soaked figurehead while he won the war."

Gorri nods in grim satisfaction. He knew it. He always knew Lissa had been right. And her finally words to him and her father both had been hauntingly accurate: Ruby Rose is innocent. But there is one last nail he needs.

"Ruby, I need the collar. Do you still have it?"

Ruby shakes her head. "No, I threw it after… I couldn't look at it, couldn't bare to have it near me. Not after what he did to me with it. After all the blood I spilled because I had no choice in anything anymore. It was either be his living puppet and pray I survived long enough to look for Weiss once the war was over, or fight him and eventually die. And now, knowing Weiss is gone, I wish I had died too. Just to be with her again."

Gorri nods as he sighs internally. That would have doomed Jaune, but so be it. He has Ruby's words recorded. He has Sarah as a witness to her expressions, to her herself. And he can't help but smile as the grey haired woman pulls Ruby into a much needed gesture of healing in a simple hug. He takes a quiet picture of the two of them, the emotion present and almost overwhelming as Ruby sobs openly on her shoulder.

But to his surprise, he receives a picture in return after sending his, along with a quick message:

Nora Valkyrie has the collar….

Augustus Nikos lowers his scroll and looks at the ginger haired warrior before him. He knows her quite well, after all, she was his daughter Pyrrha's teammate at Beacon Academy.

May Ozpin burn in hell for his daughter's death. He still has a death warrant signed for Oscar Pine, his new alias. And when he is found, he will pay for his crimes.

Enough, the Lord Proctor of Mistral has more pressing matters to attend to. Jaune Arc's downfall. And the final piece walked in side by side with Sasha Scarlatina, set a decade's old enslavement collar on his desk and then sat down quietly across from him. He considers himself a man of deep faith in the Goddess of Light. He goes to her temple every Sunday without fail, pays his tithes before his own household expenses, and gives freely of his free time to help those who have been displaced and still rebuilding from the war.

And right now, he feels as if his fifty four years of faith have just been rewarded.

"I want to make a deal." Nora's comment returns his attention to the task at hand. Of course, this won't be freely given. Especially not from a veteran like Nora. No doubt, she is here to demand more help on the front lines of Mantle. Perhaps more advanced weapons to aid in the fighting as well. He cannot fault her for this. He would do the same in her position.

"Ask, and I shall do my best to repay the debt I now find myself in." He replies calmly, confident in his ability to negotiate.

"I want out of Mantle. And Ruby gets immunity." Augustus blinks. This is unexpected. It's well known that Nora has no love for Ruby, in fact she can't stand the very sight of her. But this?

"I'm afraid I don't understand Miss Valkyrie. The first is a simple enough matter, although you'll be sorely missed on the front lines. But immunity for Miss Rose? May I ask why?"

His answer comes in a data core landing on his desk next. A memory core from a old Altesian cruiser. "This proves Ruby ordered the withdrawal from Atlas. It still had her voice recorded on it." She explains quietly. "Pretty sure Jaune forced her to do it too, but that's gonna be a he said, she said issue. And it's not Ruby your after, but Jaune. And I have my own reasons for wanting him dead."

Augustus is no fool. Lie Ren. Her one and only love. And she sees this as her chance to finally get vengeance on Jaune for this. "Why? Why wait until now?" He asks. "it seems fairly obvious you have had these items for some time."

She nods. "Found the collar after the assault on Salem's. Thought it was weird seeing it on the floor of her throne room until I spotted Ruby and Alex hauling Kore and Gorri out and she wasn't wearing it anymore." She sighs as she slumps in a bit of shame. "Never occurred to me it was the same one we got off of Weiss all those years ago until Sasha got ahold of me asking questions about him."

He nods as he listens carefully. So far everything she is saying has the ring of truth to it, but he must tread carefully. Everything must be properly accounted for posterity's sake. "And the memory core?"

Nora rattles off a series of coordinates by heart. "It was my base camp for a while, when I was hunting the area on my own. It's approximately fifteen miles northwest of the old Schnee Manor. I gave the crew a proper burial." She adds at the end. "I got really good at it."

Augustus nods. He too has gotten distressingly good at proper burials in the field, so he can sympathize. Looking at Sasha, he motions for her to take the items as he looks at Nora. "The first I shall grant. You have gone above and beyond for too long in the reclamation efforts, Nora. And I as well as the rest of the world thank you for your service. As to the second, I cannot make you that promise. Ruby…"

"Ruby gets immunity." Nora repeats firmly. "There's nothing left you can take from her except maybe her daughters. You'd be doing her a favor by executing her. And… And Rennie wouldn't want that. He constantly told me that Ruby wouldn't do the things she was doing herself. That she was being forced." Nora looks at him. "I've been letting her suffer for my own selfish reasons. Because someone needed to pay for taking Rennie away from me. But I've been punishing the wrong person all these years."

Sasha nods as she sets an old battered flash drive down on his desk, along with a newer, more state of the art one next to it. "Everything you need to see him to a hangman's noose. And I quit." She declares as she gathers up the memory core from the cruiser and walks over to his fireplace before tossing it into the roaring blaze with a look of satisfaction before rejoining Nora.

He blinks at the sudden statement as well as the unexpected act from his now former aide, and watches in shock as the two women stand and walk to his office door. And his breath catches in his throat as Nora looks at him one last time with eyes so devoid of life, he suddenly wonders if she is truly alive or not.

"Ruby gets immunity for Atlas." Nora repeats one last time firmly. "Or else I'll be back Nikos. And I don't give a damn anymore. You'd be doing me a favor by executing me too." She warns him before closing the door behind them both. And she will be, he knows it deep in his heart. Nora Valkyrie is a woman of her word.

Waiting a moment to gather his thoughts, he finally raises his scroll as he sits back and sends Gorri a simple message….

Send Ruby Rose home.

Gorri smiles slightly at the text. Nora has indeed come through, and he made a bargain with the veteran huntress. And getting Ruby back to Vale is a simple enough matter.

"Ruby, allow me to handle things from here." Gorri tells her as he finally reaches across the table and pats her hand. "I would consider it an honor to restore yours."

Ruby shakes her head. "I have no honor left, Gorri." She tells him brokenly as she sits defeated in her chair. "I'm Jaune's monster. The one thing I ever did for myself, I did for Weiss. To find her, and all I found was a grave at the end." She chokes out as fresh tears spring to her eyes.

Sarah shakes her head. "You…. You were forced Ruby. He made you his monster so he could profit. He made you a beast. He is no better than Jacques Schnee."

Gorri nods. "And just like Jacques, he will pay for his crimes. But for now, go back to Vale." He tells her firmly. "To two little girls who still need their mother, despite what she herself thinks. Dedicate yourself to them now, and allow us to finish what you've begun here since you arrived."

Sarah nods as she stands and stows her cleaver on her back. "Gorri, how? Jaune is going to be looking for her. He's desperate to talk to her."

The businessman smirks. "My personal airship of course. It's fueled and ready to take her to Vale. And Oliver will make sure she arrives safely." He informs her as he mentions his only son.

Ruby shakes her head. "But…"

"No buts." Sarah tells her firmly as she grabs Crescent Rose. "I'll see her to the airport."

Gorri nods. "Take my limo. The windows are tinted and it has a security pass." He tells them as the vehicle appears as if by magic. "And Ruby?"

"Yeah, Gorri?" She asks him weakly, her tear streaked face bringing a pang of regret to his heart.

"Live for your girls. Live the life you know Weiss would still wish for you. If nothing else, than to spite that son of a bitch." She nods sadly at him as Sarah helps her into the limo, which leaves quickly and quietly.

Gorri Tanager doesn't move for several hours, despite his scroll pinging him constantly. He has a pleasant lunch with Neon once she emerges, as well as makes plans for an early dinner back at the hotel. He smiles once more as he watches her leave with Reese, no doubt on White Fang business. But one thought haunts him throughout the rest of his day.

Lissa would want for him to move on too. To be happy despite her being gone. And perhaps…. Perhaps it's finally time to do so….


	7. The Trial of Jaune Arc

A small, but harsh light turns on in a small, out of the way dressing area. This is where the various reporters, journalists, and correspondents gather to prepare to broadcast from Mistral's Grand Forum. But everyone leaves the distant most corner alone. The only indication that it is used is the battered field table set up there, along with assorted notepads, an obsolete wireless microphone, and an old nameplate from a desk. The nameplate itself is battered, and partially cracked, but the name on it is still visible: Lisa Lavender.

Everyone there knows her name. The legendary anchorwoman turned war correspondent had followed Ruby Rose to the front lines and beyond, sometimes with a camera man, sometimes handling the camera herself. But she never failed to deliver the truth of the war, that it was brutal, ugly, and horrible. Many were the child who grew up seeing a dead parent on the tri vid before the Military could come and inform them, as well as parents, siblings, widows and widowers. She was uncompromising and unbiased in her reports as well, especially when they came to Jaune Arc.

No one knows when the issues between them began. Some say she saw something happen that she shouldn't have. Some say she learned something that she holds over him like a guillotine. But only Lisa knows the truth, and she has no friends, no lovers, no one to confide her secrets to. Nothing but her work. That, and her undisguised disgust for Jaune.

And today is a special day for the woman as she looks at her desk. Today is the hearing being convened at Augustus Nikos' request, a request the council can no longer deny since the recent violence in Vale several months ago. Violence that could have been avoided had Vale not listened to Jaune and his antiquated advice. Instead, the White Fang assassinated a major human landlord and Cardin Winchester and his own extremist group slaughtered an entire building full of faunus and sympathisers.

Something she's been warning what few ears will listen to her for years now.

No station in Mistral will air her anymore, despite her more than impressive credentials. No one watches her due to her anti Jaune rhetoric. But they can't deny that she still wields an unusual amount of influence, enough to where she has full access to the council as well as the Grand Forum itself, where she can always be seen asking the tough questions all the younger, less hungry reporters are too scared to ask, too worried about keeping their precious positions secure.

Something she stopped giving a damn about years ago.

And what makes today even better is that Augustus Nikos personally contacted her last night and gave her the scoop of the century, no scratch that, the scoop of her very life. For years, she always suspected that the once bubbly and lively young woman named Ruby Rose was being used as a tool for Jaune's ambitions. But to find out the truth wasn't just gratifying in a way, but horrific as well.

Guilt racks her as well. Ruby tried so hard to tell her what was wrong, but always went silent. She should have tried harder to listen.

Shaking her head, she berates herself as she sits down at her makeshift desk. She needs to look her best today, since bringing down a dictator is something every real journalist can only dream of. And today, today is her time to shine. To make people realize that Jaune Arc is no savior, but a menace. A threat to the tenuous peace good men and women fought and died for, including her own Huntsman husband.

Gren Lavender was a good man, a great huntsman, and a wonderful husband. His death during the Fall of Beacon and Vale was a huge blow to her. But not being able to claim his body for a proper burial almost broke her. With no channel to work with, and still in mourning, she threw in her lot with Ruby Rose when the war began in earnest. She got to know Ruby over campfire talks that would last late into the night, the younger woman always huddled in her cloak, while she had her normal bottle of whiskey she was nursing, while both of them smoked more cigarettes than could be considered healthy. She got to know her at her very worst, as well as her very best, which angers her the most.

But apparently not well enough. Not well enough to know she was being tortured right in front of her.

Ruby Rose suffered more than any ten people. She sacrificed more than any hundred people. And she gave more than anyone to see the war come to an end. And Jaune sacrificed her for his own ambitions, Cinder turned her into a desperate puppet in the hopes of finding Weiss Schnee, and the faunus have all but declared her a blood traitor. No more! Today, in front of the world, she will vindicate the young heroine of the war! Even if she has to sacrifice her own career to do it, the entire world will be forced to remember that it was Ruby Rose, and not Jaune Arc that saved them all. And that Jaune Arc should burn at the stake for what he has done!

And she will be right there, mic in hand and the devil's smile on her face.

Enough, she needs to focus. Checking over her notes, she can't help but let her mind wander a bit over her life before the war. She had been just like these young, impressionable kids starting to wander in chatting with each other and pointedly ignoring her. Not like she cares, she stopped caring after Gren died in Vale. But she can hear their whispers, their snide remarks, even their veiled insults, all of them directed at her back as she ignores them.

Fuck em all. They haven't seen a quarter of what she's seen in her life. So they can all burn in hell right along Arc himself.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Lavender?" A voice calls out behind her. "I have a message from Lord Nikos."

Lisa turns around to look face to face with the page, some young man with black hair and faunus eyes. "What is it?" She asks quietly, curious as to where his normal errand girl Sasha is until she remembers that it's well before noon. The odds are the beautiful rabbit faunus is just now getting to bed.

"He wants you to wait until after Mr. Taneger presents his first accusation before you begin to question him." The page replies as he shifts from foot to foot nervously.

Lisa doesn't respond at first. So Gorri gets first blood, does he? Well he does owe her his life, so it's only fair. She muses as she looks at the increasingly nervous page. "Ok." She replies curtley before turning back around and returning to ignoring him and the others. She needs to plan ahead then, since Gorri is taking the stage first. Knowing him, he'll have all the faunus in attendance whipped into a frenzy quickly, so she's got to be careful with her own questions. But one important fact sticks out: This may be her one and only chance to vindicate Ruby, and she will be damned if she wastes it.

She owes her that much now. That much and so much more…..

"Hold on a moment, Dad. Mrs. Schnee, how's your husband holding up?" Oliver Tanager asks as he walks out of the pilot's area of the luxury airship that belongs to his father, Gorri while still holding his scroll in his hand. Sarah LeBlanc-Schnee smiles as she looks at the young man who has grown up a fair bit since the end of the war. Gone is all the baby fat and chubbiness of childhood, replaced by a tall, lean young man with brilliant green eyes and greyish hair. A scar on his left cheek from just below his eye down to his chin is his only real distinguishing facial feature, and a gold locket around his neck the only actual jewelry he wears.

"Better now that Willow is secure." She replies as she nurses a cup of coffee. "He couldn't stop fussing over her urn." She adds quietly as she glances over to Whitley, who is sleeping quietly across from Ruby. A show of trust that he still has for the older woman despite the years that have passed, along with all the harsh words and feelings between them.

The younger man nods as he sits across from her. "I can't blame him. I would be the same way with Mom's ashes too." He adds quietly. Sarah can't help but have a twinge of sympathy for him. Melissa Garibaldi was the first woman to treat him like her own, so much so that she even butted heads constantly with Gorri's own mother Sapphire. Her death rocked him and his father to their very cores, and even Sapphire had to admit that the fox faunus woman had been a wonderful mother to him in their short time together.

"How's Miss Rose?" He asks as he sets his scroll down to the side while he sits across from her, his face suddenly an expressionless mask as he laces his surprisingly long fingers together in front of him.

Sarah blinks at the question. Oliver had all but thrown her into the airship when they had arrived, and had ordered them into the air before they had even secured themselves into their seats. By then, Ruby had been on the verge of unconsciousness from exhaustion, and had barely protested her rough treatment. "She's asleep." Sarah finally replies briskly as she avoids his gaze and looks at her once more. She is still horrified at all the lines of stress and worry that still run across her face, despite the exhaustion driven sleep that she finally succumbed to. Ruby's face alone tells far too many stories of suffering, sorrow and loss. Emotions she has born in silence as if they are her own scarlet letters to wear.

Oliver nods. "A lot to think on, isn't it?" He comments as he motions to a steward, who brings him a cup of coffee. He thanks the man and takes a sip before continuing. "So many lies have been told. So many different ways of viewing things. So much so that asking the person herself was forgotten."

Sarah looks away in shame. She is one of those people Oliver is talking about. Even she is beginning to realize that she has been wrong about so many different things all these years. And she isn't surprised to hear his voice again.

"I haven't seen Miss Rose this closely since the second battle of Mistral. Point in fact, it was the same day Mom was killed." He adds the last with a small growl in his throat.

Sarah nods as she keeps averting her gaze. "I was there that day. I was fighting with a group of Atlesian specialists that barely survived the fall of Mantle." She replies quietly. "Come to think of it, I honestly don't remember seeing Ruby after that morning's briefing." She adds quietly.

Oliver nods as he stares into his coffee cup. "Because she was indisposed." He answers quietly. "Because she was there when Mom was murdered."

Sarah's line of sight snaps back to Oliver's face at that surprising bit of news. "H-how would you know that Oliver?" She blurts out as she stares. "By all reports, Melissa was killed in the field, along with her team. Jaune himself filed the report in place of your father."

"Jaune Arc is a liar." He retorts. "Jaune Arc filed the report because he was taking advantage of Dad and Grandpa being too distraught by her death. But Jaune has everything to do with her death."

"How do you know this, Oliver?" The fox faunus asks, even as a sinking feeling begins to develop in her stomach.

"I was there when he ordered Mom and Dad back out." Oliver replies quietly, knowing she was listening intently. "He suddenly showed up right after they had gotten me from Miss Coco. And he had Ruby with him."

Sarah nods. "That's right. Coco had been badly injured when we took Mistral City back." She recalls. "She lost her left arm at the shoulder."

Oliver nods. "And still wanting to head back out." He adds with a sad smile. "I will never forget the sneer on his face as he looked at us. Mom was making sure I had eaten, and Dad was fussing over her weapon. She kept complaining that her triggers were loose and she hadn't had time to fix them yet." He recalls absently. "Dad was pissed when Jaune ordered them back out. I remember him saying something about how they had just gotten back in, and that they needed rest. But Mom kept staring at Ruby while she kept me behind Dad, like he was a big shield. That's when Jaune ordered Ruby to back him up while keeping a hand in his pocket. Dad didn't notice, he was too busy being pissed off. But Mom did." He pauses for a moment to let his statement sink in, while staring intently at his coffee.

"Mom never took her eyes off of Ruby after that, even when Jaune all but forced her and Dad to follow his orders." He adds ominously, making Sarah's stomach finish it's decent into nameless dread. "It's what got my attention."

Sarah nods absently, as she is simply too horrified now to stop listening, to beg the young man to stop before he reaches the part of his story that she is dreading: More proof that Ruby was nothing but Jaune's puppet.

"So I started paying closer attention to her like Grandmother taught me." He continues. "I saw the pain Ruby was in, how she kept reaching for that choker she always wore, but never touching it. I saw her open her mouth, but nothing come out of it after Jaune's question to her. But what scared me was the way she herself looked so scared." Oliver sighs. "That's when even I could see that something was terribly wrong with that whole picture, and I was only six."

"What happened next, Oliver?" She barely manages to ask through the growing knot in her throat.

"Dad was gone by then, gathering his team back together and looking for Uncle Kore to complain to him. But Mom called Jaune out while she was still holding me in her arms." He replies as his very body language begins to change in front of her. "That was when he started to laugh right before he called her as stupid of an animal as Weiss Schnee."

Sarah looks at him in surprise and shock. But one look at his face makes her recoil in more than a bit of alarm, her right hand instinctively reaching for Widowmaker. His face has become a mask of rage and hatred as he starts gripping his coffee cup tighter. "That bastard told my Mom to keep her mouth shut if she knew what was good for her. That an animal like her would never understand what he was doing. That just pissed Mom off even more. That's when she told him that as soon as she found Grandpa and told him what he was doing to her, he was a dead man. That the only animal there was him."

Sarah nods as she stays prepared to go on the defensive. She can smell the rage and hatred radiating from him as he reaches this part of his story. So much so, that she is beginning to worry about attracting any arial Grimm to them.

But she is startled from her worried thoughts when the coffee cup still in his hands shatters as his grip tightens too much. "That was when she started to walk towards Ruby while taking something out of one of her pockets. I guess she saw something in Ruby's eyes while I looked back and saw Jaune draw his sword. I barely got a word of warning out of my mouth when she threw me to the side and pulled out Lucifer. But he was still in her zone." He mutters as his eyes focus on the scene in the past he was reliving vividly. So vividly that she watches him wince, as if he strikes something.

"I had hit a wall by then, and it knocked me for a loop and left me this scar on my cheek." He motions absentmindedly at it before taking a breath to continue. "But I can remember her screaming as he slashed her across the stomach with Crocea Mor's buster mode." He shudders. "I can still smell her blood, I still have nightmares of watching her insides falling out while Lucifer drop from her hands. I can still smell Ruby's flesh burning as she struggled to get the collar off." He looks up at the faunus woman almost blankly now. "I still swear to this day I heard Ruby scream no…."

Sarah has no words. Just shock at the news that Oliver just described his mother being disemboweled right in front of him while Ruby was helpless to stop it. Oh Goddess…..

"He hurt her, finished gutting her with Crocea Mors, then he dragged her away while I was too stunned to even yell or scream for Dad or Grandpa or Auntie Mel or Uncle Kore. And the whole time, that whole time, Ruby was on her knees screaming silently as she tried to get that choker off. It was hurting her, but she kept trying so hard to rip it away. In the end, everyone thought a Grimm killed her. But I knew the truth."

"Jaune Arc murdered the only mother I ever had in cold blood."

Sarah stares in horror at the young man. Everything, from his scent to his body language screamed the truth of his words. Goddess, but to witness something like that at such a young age! So she does the only thing she can think of, and that is to gather him into her arms and hold him as the dam bursts, and his tears fall unchecked.

"She was trying so hard to stop him." He whispers brokenly. "All because Mom figured it out, and wanted to help her. To free her like Ruby freed all the Schnee slaves in the Mistral mines. To begin to repay the debts that the faunus as a whole owe her."

Sarah nods as she holds him. "I had forgotten all about that." She murmurs softly as she looks at her own branded arm. Goddess, another fact that she forgot about in her own anger and hatred. After Weiss ventured forth to Beacon and her somewhat freedom, Sarah found herself with a slave brand upon her arm and cast into the kitchens to be a common drudge, despite her expertise in combat. To her horror, she realized too late that she had only been brought in to keep Weiss calm and focused after Willow's death. After that, only Whitley, Klein and the other servants treated her with respect. The rest of the household treated her like trash.

Oliver nods as he sits back up, wiping his face with a bloody hand. "Ruby did so much good. She even almost electrocuted herself to death to try to save my mom." He mutters as he looks at his hand before wrapping it in a towel. "But like in any war, the victors become the oppressed. And Ruby Rose was vilified for other people's purposes." He adds as he stands. "Excuse me."

Sarah watches him go as she sits there. She feels so numb now. Her hatred of Ruby for Weiss's death had consumed her so much, and for so many years. And now?

Now she feels like a complete and utter fool.

Gorri stares at his scroll in horror. Never in his life had he expected this… this…. Oh Goddess be merciful. This is why Oliver has such horrible nightmares? Why his son worships a long dead mother figure as not just a hero, but a martyr? Why he has remained close to Lissa's family after all these years? But Gorri's attention is brought back to the matter at hand as Lisa Lavender nudges him and motions to the raised dias where the Council sits.

"Jaune? Jaune is this true?!" Azura Adel asks in shock as the entire forum stays quiet. Too late, Gorri realizes that he had his mic on, and that everyone in attendance and around the world that was watching Mistral's Holo News Network just heard Oliver's damning testimony.

Jaune Arc rises and smiles. "Of course not. The poor young man has to be mistaken." Gorri snaps back to attention at that. And he can feel his rage begin to grow.

"Are you calling my son a liar, Jaune?" Gorri asks too calmly as he stands up ramrod straight, his hand reaching for a weapon that isn't there. But before he can look around for Hammer, he feels a hand upon his shoulder.

"Sit down, son." Sapphire Tanager orders him as she walks past to gasps as well as scattered whispers. The former CEO is still the figure of sophistication and grace that she has always been, with her impeccable business attire, her perfectly cared for hair kept in a no nonsense bun atop her head right behind her perfectly trimmed wolf's ears. Even her normal indifferent look has been replaced by an icy glare, Jaune Arc firmly set in her sights.

Moving to a podium set before the council proper, she clears her throat as she adjusts the microphone. "Ladies, Gentlemen, and Jaune." His name rolls off her tongue like an insult, which she no doubt intends. "As per the agreement of the four kingdoms, made once the last war against Salem ended, I have been chosen as the Inquisitor of this hearing." She declares, garnering some scattered applause around the forum.

Azura Adel nods as she looks calmly at Sapphire. "This council acknowledges your place, Inquisitor." She replies formally. "But I will note for the record that this council was not consulted beforehand." She adds as she shoots Augustus Nikos a glare, to which he shrugs his shoulders indifferently. "And also, I am not amused Sapphire. Especially considering the timing of your arrival considering the story we just listened to."

Sapphire nods curtly as she opens a briefcase an aid brings her. "An unfortunate story. One that my grandson has struggled to tell for years now, ever since my daughter in law was sacrificed for the ambitions of a single individual." She comments as she blatantly ignores Azura's verbal jab. "I am rather proud of him myself. It takes a great amount of courage to recount what has been, and still is the single most horrible day of his young life."

Gorri sighs as he sits back, while Lisa sits next to him taking copious amounts of notes on a notepad. Ever since Lissa died and she saw the devastation it wrecked upon him and Oliver, his mother has always called her that, despite the fact that they were never formally wed. So much so that he takes note of her perfectly groomed tail as it wags in anticipation.

Sapphire Tanager came for blood, and like a deadly great white, she's already begun to circle Jaune Arc's dwindling island.

And of course, Jaune is already back on his feet and still smiling. "Miss Tanager, this council does indeed welcome you back to Mistral City and among your former peers." Gorri catches the way he stresses the word former. And if he caught it, then so will she.

"Indeed so, I simply wish that I had returned sooner for the business at hand." She replies smoothly as she focuses upon him once more. "After all, it's not every day a woman such as myself is called upon to topple a tyrant such as you, Councilor Arc."

"Oooooo, burn." Lisa whispers as she smirks, but continues writing in her neat, but cramped script. Gorri can't help but nod in agreement as he finally decided to get comfortable. Augustus brought his mother to be the ringmaster to these events, and far be it for him to ruin a show he too has been waiting years for.

"Enough!" Azura calls out as she motions to Sapphire. "Inquisitor, proceed. Otherwise, this council will adjourn for the day. Some of us still have other business to conduct." She adds the last with a tone of malicious intent aimed at her former business rival.

Jaune's smile falters a bit as he keeps his own gaze locked with hers. "You aren't the first to say so, Tanager." He reminds her bluntly. "Yet here I still sit."

Sapphire begins to smile a wide, shark like smile. "But I will be the last Jaune. I promise you that." She replies cryptically as she motions to the pages to pass around bundles of papers as she herself moves to the front of the assembly proper. Gorri and Lisa both move to the edges of their seats in anticipation of what is said next, while Jaune himself visibly pales at the object that is now in her hand.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the gathered council of Remnant, I present my first piece of evidence to you all: an enslavement collar created by Jacques Schnee to keep his faunus daughter Weiss under his twisted control." She declares as she holds it high above her head for all to see as she spins slowly in place for maximum effect. "This very same collar was also worn by General Ruby Michelle Rose during the war against Salem, placed forcefully on her person by her now ex-husband and current Councilman, Jaune Arc." She continues as she finally stops turning and holds the object out to Jaune with a smirk.

"Councilor, would you like this back now?" She asks wickedly as Jaune's eyes narrow in rage. "But, before I return it to you, let us hear in her own words about the night that this very collar was placed upon her, by force!" She adds the last with a growl as her eyes narrow and her tail raises threateningly. The room turns so silent that a pin would be heard clearly if it dropped in the stillness as Ruby's voice, along with Sarah's and Gorri's are heard in a second telling of the tale. But the words themselves, along with the obvious sorrow in her voice are heard clearly enough.

As the recording finishes playing it's own damning words, she spares a moment to stare at Jaune, who's confident smile has already returned to his face. Her own mind already preparing for his counter argument, she locks gazes with him as he opens his mouth to speak.

"All of this is all well and good. But my first question becomes was Ruby aware that she was being recorded? Not only that, but if that is the same supposed collar Jacques Schnee used on his daughter Weiss, then where are there any witnesses to that fact? Who can actually confirm that it was on Weiss other than the woman herself?" He asks calmly, causing the assembly to begin to rumble.

But Sapphire is already prepared for this, just as she has been prepared for this entire debacle for some time now. "As to the first question, I shall remind both you as well as the rest of the council that although she was unaware of being recorded, there was nothing said of a self incriminating nature on the recording. Thus, her right to avoid said self incrimination was never once violated." She points out to agreeing nods from Augustus as well as another councilman, whose face is hidden within the shadows of his Stetson style hat. She even catches a brief nod from Azura, which causes Jaune's smile to falter again for a moment before it returns in full. But, she is far from done yet. "And to answer the second question, I call on my first witness." She declares as she turns and motions at the entry doors.

"I call Klein Seiben, former butler for the Schnee Family, and who is now currently employed by General Ruby Michelle Rose in her own household."

Heads seemingly turn as one as the older gentleman stands between the now opened doors, a smirk on his features as he locks his eyes on Jaune. "Hello, Jaune Arc. Needless to say, I did not vote for you. Ever."

Lisa put her pen down within the first five minute of his testimony in disgust. By the time he reached the end of just the first month, which included an extremely graphic description of a beating that Weiss took for disobeying Jacques Schnee over an arranged date with a possible suitor, she was disturbed. Disturbed enough to put her pen and notepad away.

"Goddess…." Gorri breathes as Klein stops for a moment to wipe his face clear. "I never knew."

Lisa nods. "No one knew. Ruby would never talk about her, no matter how drunk we got." She murmurs back. "I gave up asking."

"Herr Seiben, I know that this is a painful thing for you, recounting all of these horrors, but I must ask for a bit of restraint." Sapphire asks him quietly, visibly shaken herself as she grips the edges of the podium tightly.

"I cannot." Klein replies firmly as his vision focuses on her. "For too long, I have listened as the public at large vilify and heap their hate upon the once noble Schnee name. I, along with many of the former servants, have been forced to either accept lower paying work, flee for other cities and nations in the hope of perhaps finding one place or one person that has never heard the Schnee name, or have been murdered in retaliation for crimes we personally did not ever commit." He states clearly and firmly as he looks out at the assembly.

"Because my voice will be heard, because Miss Weiss's voice has been silenced forever."

Gorri and Lisa look at each other. With that last statement, they both know that Sapphire has lost control of Klein completely, and that what is coming is either going to ignite a full scale riot right here in the council chambers, or in all of Mistral period.

Before Sapphire can even attempt to ask for a recess, Klein stands from the witness podium and walks over to stand before the mystery member of the council. "Jaune Arc took your daughter from you and her new family. He slaughtered her to preserve his lies, his secrets, and to keep a wonderful young woman firmly under his thumb as a glorified pet."

The man then walks over to Augustus Nikos and looks at him. "You are still the one person in all of Mistral that still cares for this country, Lord Nikos. You suffer as she suffers, you work harder than any ten men to see her return to her former glory. And for that, you should be commended and praised, just as your heroic daughter is still seen as a hero."

With a frown, he next approaches Azura Adel and looks at her. "You." He chuckles softly as he shakes his head. "Mother is the name for God upon the lips of a child. Unlike Weiss and her mother, or even Willow, you still have a chance to make things right with Coco. It's not too late, Azura." For her part, Azura Adel looks down in shame as she turns to break his gaze, her well known feud with her daughter having caused many a public argument between them.

He then walks over to Jaune and glares at him, his face a mask. "Once, for many years I served a man who was nothing more than a monster. He feared no consequence for his various actions, his monstrous decisions, or his various sins. And yet, you believe yourself to be doing all you do for the good of others? You sir are an amateur compared to Jacques Schnee. That man was nothing short of a nightmare given life. He cared nothing for anyone, human or faunus, not even for his own wife and children."

Turning, he looks at the gathered assembly. "And all of you. You sit here expecting a spectacle. Expecting tales of human debauchery and excesses of sin and vice, and greed. Oh yes, especially greed. Yet, the only tales I have to tell are those of a family of once good men and women, who fell when a demon entered their midst. A demon of pride, arrogance, and pure hate for those he deemed inferior to himself. And he was not limited to just faunus. No, even his own fellow humans were constant victims of his ego. And most especially, his own children."

Turning, he looks to the mystery councilman, who taps a button before him. A large picture of Willow Schnee appears above the assembly. The girl was standing tall and proud, the hilt of a jet black rapier held in her hands, the tip set into the ground. "Jacques' pride and ego suffered no bruising. And the elder of his twin daughters, Willow, was the first victim in his own family. Her own pride, her own convictions to restore the family's honor put her in more danger than even she ever realized."

Hanging his head, he sighs deeply. "Familial pride versus a monster's ego created a moment in time not a single member of the staff, Weiss, or even Whitley would ever forget." He comments calmly as he looks back at the assembly. "Yet all of you wonder, what is the point of all this? Well I shall tell you."

Walking back to the center podium, he looks back at them as he sits. A picture of Weiss now appears overhead. She is standing in an identical fashion to her twin, save facing her. Even their smiles are identical, and just as plastic. "Jacques Schnee murdered her sister Willow in cold blood, all for trying to protect her brother Whitley. And in one single moment, when Jaune could have been merciful and aided in caring for Weiss, in helping her heal alongside the friends that she did make in Beacon, he instead broke her in spirit just as sure as Jacques broke her in body. Yet all of you, each and every last one of you were so quick to convict Jacques before he even stood trial." He suddenly levels a glare so hateful and full of venom upon them all that many, if not almost all of them wince and back down. "Weiss has gone unavenged for over a decade now. Weiss, who's only crime was being the one person Ruby Rose ever truly loved, ever truly cared about, thus making her an obstacle to Jaune's plans. She has gone unavenged while this farce of a trial continues, despite evidence already given proving his guilt for the crimes of murder and the inslavement of another living being."

His eyes narrow now in disgust as he turns and looks at Jaune himself once more, like he was no better than a bug about to be trod upon by a shoe. "An obstacle you removed in your rise to become as close as a God upon Remnant that you could. Yet all you ever managed was to become a Demiurge at best, and a pathetic one. All you ever managed was to follow in the footsteps of a man who was a true God of Darkness, and who met a fitting fate at the claws of a Beowolf back in Atlas. You took Weiss from this world, when she would have been a pure force for good alongside General Rose. You denied this world a chance to truly heal and restore itself, all for your own pride and arrogance. And for what?"

"To turn General Rose into a pet!" Lisa roars in a rage as she leaps to her feet. "Because of you, Ruby had to make a deal with Cinder Fall to find Weiss! She had to make a deal with a real demon because you were still too busy destroying her life!" She declares, not regretting revealing her last and biggest secret she has kept all these years. "Something you basically forced her to do, because she had nothing left to lose!"

"He killed Lissa in cold blood! And I will have his!" Gorri adds angrily as he too stands. "My son is traumatized for life, and you took his mother away from him! And you even had the balls to lie about it all these years!"

The rest of the assembly begins to rumble as others add their own voices. Names, places, even events begin to sound out until an older fox faunus man stands and raises his hand for silence. "Klein is correct." He calls out in a clear voice. "This is not the time for petty grievances, for old wounds to be reopened save one." He begins to move forward, coming to a stop in front of the mystery councilman and sighs. "She truly meant to find Weiss, didn't she?"

"Told ya old friend." He rumbles. "Sometimes, ya gotta make ah deal with the devil for answers." He replies sadly, the shadows around him growing deeper.

"Agreed." He hangs his head as he turns. "We were wrong." He declares as he looks at the gathered faunus in attendance. "We placed our blame on a woman who made a choice out of love for another. We made an innocent woman our personal scapegoat for our pain and our rage. A woman who never once lied to us, and who never once denied that she loved a faunus. Who never hid that love but instead sacrificed everything for it." He points out to all the faunus in attendance. Returning to his seat, he looks at the mystery councilman and nods. "I personally shall seek out General Rose, and beg her forgiveness, as will all those who still respect your words as our Alpha." He declares before sitting back down, while all the faunus in attendance go silent, each and every one looking down in shame.

The rest of the gallery, the other councilors, even Gorri, Sapphire and Lisa look at Jaune expectantly after the old man sits. They watch as he looks thoughtfully for several long minutes while Klein's glare never leaves him, until he clears his throat and stands slowly, almost dramatically. "Is this all? Because if so, then I shall be taking my leave. This entire thing has been nothing but a farce from the very beginning, with precious little evidence, statements from witnesses that are not even present for me to cross examine, and frankly I feel a bit insulted that you wasted the people's time like this." He states calmly.

"Sit down, Arc." A voice calls out from the gallery. Jaune's head whips around to find the source of the voice. And when he does, he turns deathly pale at the sight of Nora Valkyrie glaring at him, Magnhild somehow in hand and being tapped in her open palm. "How bout this? I'm gonna call your bitch ass out next. And I dare you to call me a liar."

"Nora!" Sapphire yells as she whirls around to glare at her. "You weren't supposed to be here!" She reminds her angrily. "And weapons aren't permitted here!"

"Weapon? Oh, you mean Maggy?" She replies as she makes her way through the packed audience, which is clearly and quickly moving out of the obviously angry huntress's path. "She's not a weapon, she's a promise to Ren."

"An what promise is that, Nora?" The mystery councilman asks, his amusement evident in his tone.

Nora grins as she reaches the floor and points the massive Warhammer at a now sweating and nervous looking Jaune Arc. "To kill this son of a bitch and avenge his honor." She declares loudly enough to be heard clearly even outside. "Ren covered for you. He lied for you, all because he believed in you. And you repaid him how, Jaune?" She asks as she begins to crackle with static electricity.

Jaune says nothing, he simply stares at his furious former teammate as she keeps pointing the warhammer at him menacingly. Klein himself snorts in disgust as he shakes his head. "So, you even betrayed a man you claimed was as close to you as a brother. Shameful!"

Jaune gulps nervously as he keeps looking at Magnhild. "Nora…. Nora I begged Ren not to go back out that day. I swear to you I did. I swear on my own mother's grave he wasn't supposed to go back out."

Nora snorts. "Did you kill her too?" She asks bluntly. "I mean, you might as well have killed Weiss, same with Ruby. Hell, you forced her to abandon Yang after she got hurt!" She suddenly spins around. "Hey! You guys wanna see pictures of Yang? I got some!" She declares as she tosses a scroll at the mystery councilman, who plugs it in and reveals the blonde.

The gasp is almost dangerous as people bare witness to the once lively and vivacious brawler. Her once long hair is shorn to her chin, and all her muscle mass is gone. She is thin now, and a pale shadow of her former self. But what catches everyone's attention is how empty and lifeless her eyes are, like two sunken pale violet orbs devoid of even a spark of life or spirit. As if the soul is as broken as the body that still houses it.

Nora points at Jaune once more. "You took her new arm away. You and Renny both. And then you forced Ruby to send her home, you forced her to say that she was useless, worthless." She growls angrily as her grip tightens on the massive weapon in her hand. "You forced her to tell Yangy that she had outgrown her. And then you and Renny forced me to stay away from her. To not be Ruby's friend anymore. All because you promised Ren to help him avenge his village. To help him move past the hurt and pain. And you lied to him too." She hisses out in her rage. "And then you got him killed assaulting the Grand Pit!"

Jaune leaps to his feet. "Never! I would have never have done that! I never once thought Ruby would have been nearly as successful as she had been!" He roars back, not realizing that he had finally been driven to losing his temper. Coming around, he leaves the safety of the dias to stand virtually toe to toe with his former teammate. "He was my brother, my first real and true friend in Beacon! The first person who encouraged me to finally pursue that frigid bitch Weiss!" He spits out angrily as he holds his ground, despite Nora having returned to tapping her warhammer's head in her open palm.

Nora snorts. "Oh please! Even I knew she was a lesbian as soon as I met her! How the fuck did you never realize it?!" She replies mockingly as she shoulders her weapon. "Oh yeah, I forgot you were worse than useless at Beacon, you fucking loser!"

"Shut up!" He snarls back, his temper well and truly ignited now. "I hope like hell Weiss enjoyed that little show I put on for her! It's too bad she wasn't around when I was fucking her precious Rose too! Or when I fucked her old man over for her after Ruby let Atlas burn! That she did on her own!"

"Oh really?" The mystery councilman asks as he stands to his full height of seven feet. Raising the brim of his hat, he grins wickedly at Jaune as Augustus also stands. "Prove it kid."

Jaune looks up at the wolf faunus that is still called the Mountain by the people of Mistral with obvious fear in his eyes for Alexander Garibaldi as he looks back at him with obvious amusement on his face. "Well kid? Ahm waitin." The massive seven foot tall warrior calls out as he comes around the dias to stand in front of the councilman. Despite his advancing age of almost sixty, Alexander still cuts an impressive figure with his barrel chest that is pulling his grey formal shirt tightly, massive arms that seemingly strain at the sleeves of his ankle length black drover's coat, and his black clad tree trunk like legs that end in a pair of monstrous steel tipped boots laced all the way to his calves. But the part that catches Jaune's attention is the way his hazel and green flecked eyes seemingly stare into his soul, the promise of pain and fear in his immediate future clearly reflected in them, even as he removes his Stetson hat and sets it gently on the podium.

Jaune begins to tremble as his rage turns into fear, while the realization that he has begun to confess washes over him. But before he can utter even a syllable can leave his mouth, Azura Adel also stands and glares hatefully at him. "Jaune Arc, as the new senior most representative of this council, I hereby order you to be arrested immediately and held over for sentencing!" She orders angrily. "I cannot believe for a moment that I was still trying to give you the benefit of the doubt. I honestly thought Augustus and Alexander were blowing smoke up my ass! Instead, I find out that you are a coward, a liar, a rapist, and a murderer!" She rages as guards approach him, while the crowd begins to roar in their own anger and their demands to see him executed now.

Alex steps forward and holds up his hands. "Y'all calm down." He orders in a loud clear voice. To no one's surprise, the crowd settles down, albeit hesitantly, a few grumbles and calls for his death here and there. Walking over to Jaune, he suddenly grabs him by the collar and lifts him up as he grins wickedly. "See, you killed mah girl, Arc. You killed so many. But you ain't gettin away this time." He declares as he draws a massive bastard sword from underneath his long drover's coat. Carrying Jaune back to the council podium, he slams Jaune into the side of the solid wooden object before driving the sword into his shoulder up to the hilt. "You stay put now, ya hear?" He orders the screaming man as he turns and looks at the guards. "Make sure he don't go nowhere, understood?"

The guards nod as they take positions around Jaune, who is screaming in pain as he struggles in vain to free himself. Alex himself looks pleased as he rejoins the others. "Azura, ahm gonna only ask ya once ta clear Weiss's name. Ta clear Ruby's. Ain't this gone on long enough?" He asks firmly.

Azura looks at Jaune, before looking at each of them in turn before nodding. "At least, perhaps, Weiss can finally rest peacefully." She looks at Klein, who is standing off to the side with Gorri and Lisa Lavender, who has yet to begin to write a single word again. "Winter too, Herr Sieben, and with this council's deepest apologies."

Klein nods as he bows to her. "I can only hope that Miss Winter's soul will finally be at peace, despite her sacrifice being in vain." He replies quietly. "If all of you will excuse me, I was forced to ask a favor of an old old friend to watch over Yang and the girls until my return. One I cannot delay despite this dark matter finally being resolved."

Augustus nods. "We need to make his execution quick as well. It would behoove us to get past all this quickly so that Mistral can get past this embarrassment and shame."

"Agreed." Alex seconds as he takes a double barreled shotgun out from underneath his coat and opens the breech to load a pair of shells in one at a time. "I can blow his damned head off right now, and be done with it."

"No." Nora declares as she finally looks away from him. "Let him suffer. Let him see that Mistral can recover despite his sins, despite his evil." She declares as she places Magnhild on her back."Let him live knowing he destroyed so many lives. Lives like Weiss's and Ren's." She sighs as she looks at Azura. "Fix your shit with your daughter. She's a great person, even now."

Azura nods as she looks at the ground in shame. "I…. I will try Huntress Valkyrie." She promises softly. "I can only hope she'll listen to me now. She's defended Ruby all these years as well. Swore that something had always been off about her. I should have listened."

Nora nods before looking at Augustus. "Your daughter was my best friend. I miss her so much, even after all these years." She sighs as she blushes slightly. "I… I kinda liked her liked her."

Augustus smiles as he looks at her. "I always knew that about Pyrrha, Nora. I would have been proud to have called you my daughter in law."

She then looks at Alex with a sad smile. "Lissa was everything I ever wanted to be as a mother, as a wife, and as a person. I still wish Ren looked at me like Gorri looked at her." She sighs as she blushes a bit. "I wish Pyrrha had lived long enough to keep looking at me that way."

Alex chuckles as he smiles. "Nora, she was one of a kind, darlin. So are you. Good luck to ya."

With a small smile, she looks at Gorri next. "Move on. We all know Lissa would be yelling at you."

Gorri smiles wryly as he rubs the back of his head. "Neon's been wanting more. To be honest, so have I." He replies with a blush.

She finally looks at Lisa Lavender and smiles. "My scroll's got everything I ever remembered, gathered, and heard about Jaune. It even has almost all the arguments Rennie and I ever had over Ruby and what they were doing to her." She sighs as her smile vanishes "It doesn't excuse what he did. I wish it does, but it doesn't. But Rennie really didn't know things would turn out like this. He honestly wouldn't have helped. If you use it or not, it's up to you. But you and Ruby, you were friends. And I think if Weiss could have met you, the three of you would still be friends, even now."

Lisa nods as she looks towards the dias, where the scroll still laid undisturbed, Yang's picture still hanging in midair for the world to see, along with Weiss and Willow's. "I think this will be my last story. And one hell of one too. A story that needs to be told properly."

Nora nods as she looks at them all now. "I'm going back to Vale. Glynda needs more help than she has, and I still have a few wrongs that need to be righted." She declares as she walks over to Klein and takes his arm. "Heading my way, Mr. Klein?"

Klein chuckles as he pats her hand. "Indeed I am, Nora. Come, an old friend is waiting for me at the airship docks. He'll be more than happy to bring you back as well."

"Hold up." Alex calls out as sets the shotgun down on the podium. "Ahm heading that way myself. Lemme see you both off." He states as he catches up quickly and keeps up with them easily.

Augustus shakes his head as he looks at Sapphire. "Not exactly what we had in mind, Saph."

The woman nods as she moves to stand by her son. "But we achieved the desired effect, and toppled a monster." She replies proudly as she takes Gorri's arm as she looks up at him. "Come, I wish to pay my respects to your brother and my daughter in law."

Gorri nods. "It's been far too long. And I need to make sure Lissa will be fine with me moving on." He agrees as they too leave, leaving only Lisa and Azura in an awkward silence.

"Lisa?"

"Yes ma'am?" Lisa replies as she finally takes the scroll from the dias and pockets it without looking at it.

"Tell me all you remember of Ruby Rose." Azura asks quietly. "I'll treat you to dinner for your time."

Lisa nods as she motions for the older woman to lead the way. "I'm too poor to turn down a free meal, Mrs. Adel." She admits with a wry smile. "The perils of fighting for a good damned woman for a decade now."

Azura nods as she takes the lead. "A fight you have championed successfully, Mrs. Lavender. I shall personally see to it General Rose's reputation restored, and her family name returned to a place of honor here in Mistral and the world."

Lisa sighs. "An empty victory, ma'am. Ruby's world stopped the day her search for Weiss stopped."

Azura nods as they pass through the doors, guards closing them behind them. "Jaune shall burn for his sins. I shall see to that personally as well….." She declares as the doors close with a thud, sealing the still screaming man within.

Night has fallen, but it doesn't affect the cloaked faunus woman walking towards the doors to the Grand Forum. She can see perfectly well at night without the need for even a candle to light her way. And fortunately for her, even the moon is hiding behind heavy clouds, signalling the coming of the changing of the seasons in this country she hates so much.

But considering the fact that her twin sister died here, it wasn't a big surprise. But for Melody Garibaldi, tonight was all about closure. The end of her pain and loss.

The end of Jaune's life. No matter the cost to her. Aeon would understand.

Reaching the doors, she is surprised that they are unlocked. She is even more surprised that there were no guards present as she enters and pads forward slowly on her bare feet, making a beeline towards the dias. Not a single soul other was present other than him. The monster, the butcher of so many good men and women. The man that killed the closest person to her in her life.

Getting closer, she can see why. Her father is nothing if not precise with his strikes still and has pinned the bastard cleverly, forcing Jaune to stay on his toes to keep from hurting himself further. She smirks as she witnesses him slip a moment, a weak whimper leaving his throat as he scrambles to keep himself from tearing his own shoulder and arm off.

Good. She can finish the job personally. Then maybe, just maybe she can finally rest, knowing that she'll finally be safe, and that Lissa is avenged.

"You don't want to do this." A woman's voice calls out from the shadows quietly. "You don't want to stoop to his level."

Melody sighs as she stops, recognizing the voice while not being surprised in the least at her presence here. "Yes, yes I do." She replies quietly as she lowers the hood of her cloak to reveal her tired facial features. The once vibrant red hair is full now, and streaked with grey, along with the wolf's ears on her head. Her eyes are sunken and tired, but her jaw is set firmly and her eyes gleam with a pent up rage as she glances about, suddenly spotting the butt of a familiar weapon on the podium. Making her way slowly to it, she lifts Melissa's old weapon up and inspects it critically, smiling at how perfectly her father had restored it from its mangled mess. "So, why do you want him kept alive?" She asks calmly as she grimaces at the fact that the short sword once built into it is still missing. Fortunately, she has no plans to stab the bastard. Her own war injuries have taken her ability to wield a blade away from her, but Lucifer will do quite nicely in place of her own Save the Queen, which she left back at the shop with her husband.

The voice chuckles. "I don't. If anyone deserves a quick and painful death, it's that bastard. But, he also deserves a more public death than what you have planned." She points out. "Granted, I'm more than willing to beat him to death here and now, and with a huge smile on my face."

Melody snorts as she opens the breech and ejects the shells into her hand, inspecting them carefully. "Blanks? Clever. Daddy must have been putting on a show." She grumbles as she checks her pockets and sighs. "Figures. So what now? I walk away? Return to my husband and my life and pretend that watching his death by execution on the tri-vid will be just as satisfying?" She asks bitterly as she tosses the blanks away, but keeping the shotgun in hand.

"No. Nothing will ever take all that pain, all that sadness, all that agony away." Neon Katt replies as she emerges from the shadows herself, her normal White Fang mask clipped to her belt instead of on her face. "But a quick death is too good for him. Especially considering what he did to Weiss and Ruby."

Melody shakes her head. "Oh don't worry. He's not gonna like what I have to say." She reassure the cat faunus. "Not one single bit. Trust me on that." She adds the last part with a genuine smile filled with pride.

Neon nods as she looks at Jaune, who groans as he keeps struggling before looking back at Melody. "Somehow, I believe you Mel." She replies honestly as she hands her a pair of red wrapped shotgun shells. "Use these."

Melody takes them with a nod and loads them before snapping the breach shut and walking slowly towards Jaune. "Do you mind? This is kinda personal."

Neon nods. "Neither of us were ever here." She agrees as she turns to walk away. "And Mel?"

"Yeah?" She replies as Jaune finally notices her and stares in horror, as if seeing a ghost.

Neon turns back to look at her, a small smile on her face. "She's still alive, isn't she?"

Mel's smile turns wicked as she puts the shotgun to his forehead. "My biggest and proudest secret." She admits as Jaune keeps staring in horror at the faunus woman before him. "Did you figure it out yet, Arc? Or do I need to write it out in crayon for you?"

"Lissa, please….." He whines out pleadingly. "Please don't kill me….."

"Lissa's dead you asshole!" Mel roars as she pulls the hammers of the double barrel shotgun back. "You killed my sister! My other half! All to be a bigger man! Well guess what?! In the end, you lose!" She declares with a smirk. "Because she's still alive! Alive and well, and soon to be completely out of your reach! And, the Goddess willing, soon to be reunited with the woman she never should have lost to a loser like you."

Jaune's eyes widen in shock and rage as he suddenly tries to grab at the shotgun, only to get whipped ruthlessly in the face with the barrels for his efforts. "What's wrong, Arc?" Neon asks as she moves back beside Mel, her smile now a devilish smirk. "Sucks to know that the one victory you thought you had turned out to be a huge fail for ya too?"

Jaune snarls as he glares hatefully at them both. "I will get free! And I will find her and kill her personally! I'll strangle her with my own two hands!" He roars as tries once again to struggle, this time catching a nunchuck to the face for his efforts. Instead of moaning in pain or whining, he glares at Neon. "And this time, I'll put her head on a pike and stab it in Ruby's front lawn, to remind her that she will always belong to me!"

Neon hits him again, a look of disgust in her eyes. "You're nothing but a pig, Arc!" She declares angrily as she hits him a third, then a fourth time, the sound of bones cracking and splintering being heard with each rage fueled strike. "And I for one can't wait to lead you to the slaughter!" She adds as her last two strikes are to his knees, breaking them and preventing him from standing any longer.

"And tonight's it for you, Jaune." Mel adds coldly. "No more Ruby to hide behind, no more Sarah around to save your ass, nothing!" She all but spits out angrily as she slams the butt of the shotgun into his wounded shoulder, causing him to scream as the bastard sword keeps him pinned in place. But both women can hear the cracking of bone, the tearing of muscle and sinew as it does it's job of causing him even more pain, while his screams grow into almost ear piercing shrieks of pain.

Neon nods as she activates the electrical dust in her nunchucks before starting to spin them slowly. "If she doesn't do it, I will. You will not harm that poor woman again. You'll never harm Ruby again." She adds as they begin to spin faster. "You'll never harm anyone ever again!" She screams angrily as she strikes his midsection, sending a painful jolt of electricity through his body and intensifying his pain even further.

"Go to hell….." He manages to stammer out as he looks at them with hate filled eyes.

"You first." Neon replies as she stands back, nunchucks still at the ready in case she needs to strike again. "We'll see you there soon enough." She adds with an evil smile. "I personally still have some business with Emerald."

Mel nods and smirks as she steps forward while raising the shotgun. "Never expected to go to Heaven, not for all my sins. But old Lucifer and I have been waiting years for this, so what's one more going to hurt now?" She points out as she presses the barrels into his forehead, getting a pain filled curse out of him. "So long Jaune, say hi to Cinder and Salem for us." She declares as he closes his eyes. "And I'll make sure to tell Weiss myself that you'll never bother her again!" She roars as she pulls both triggers at once, bringing Jaune's life to a fire dust fueled end……

Afterword: "Do you need a tattoo?"

Klein sighs as his old friend, Nora, and Alex all chat like old friends as Coco Adel and Fox Alistair load their bags into the old Atlas Military bullhead. Although semi-retired, the older man looks proud at the fact that the council asked him to give a pair of high ranking Huntsmen a priority trip to Vale, and it shows as he calls for everyone to come aboard. Approaching the still white and blue bullhead, he can't help but feel a sense of nostalgia for his lost homeland. Despite the pain he witnessed and did his best to prevent, it was where he was born and raised, and where he always hoped to be laid to rest.

But it was not to be, no thanks to a Witch, her personal monster, as well as god of pure evil.

Hearing a throat clear, he turns slowly and looks up at Alex, while Nora, Fox, Coco and the pilot disappear aboard. "Klein, we ain't ever seen eye to eye." Alex begins as he looks down at him. "Specially when it came to Winter and Willow." He adds quietly as he holds his hat in his hands.

Klein nods. "I agree. I still wish to know where Miss Winter is buried, Alexander. She still deserves the decency of a proper burial." He reminds the old warrior, who looks down in shame.

"Soon. If everything goes well, I'll bring her to ya myself." Alex informs him quietly. "Nora ain't the only one who still has wrongs left to right. And I ain't got a whole lot of time left to make amends." He adds cryptically.

Klein takes a moment to remember everything he knows about the old wolf faunus, finally remembering… "It's your heart, isn't it?" He asks cautiously, surprised when he gets an affirmative nod in response.

"Doc's calling it Acute Heart Failure. Ah call it my ticker's bout done." He admits. "An ah ain't the type to take ah heart from someone younger. I've lived my life, time for me to see Katie again, if she'll still have me."

Klein nods. "Then I can only pray you finish all you have set out to do, Alexander. As for me, all I have left are regrets, and serving a good woman and her family. This has done nothing to help me settle my ghosts." He admits as he holds out his hand.

The Mountain takes it with a firm grip, a small smile on his face. "Safe journey, Klein Seiben." He declares as he releases the handshake. With a nod, he turns and walks away with a purpose as he settles his hat back on his head.

Klein however stares at the business card the other man slipped into his palm with the handshake. A Beowolf's head stares at him, along with an address in Vale and a scroll number. Turning it over, he sees the small but neat handwriting, with a message that reads You could use a tattoo. Looking back up, he notices that Alex has vanished completely, despite the lack of people, cover, or even a building nearby. Looking back down at the card, he loses himself in thought until he feels a gentle touch on his shoulder.

"Herr Seiben, we need to go." Coco Adel reminds him. "Fox and I are needed for the assault on Cardin's compound in Vale."

Klein nods as he puts the card in his breast pocket. "Of course. It is certainly about time that another monster is put in his place." He declares as he leads Coco to the bullhead, unaware of the importance of that one small card Alexander Garibaldi placed in his hand…….


	8. Chapter Eight

-Nineteen Years Ago-

Willow smiles as she stands in the doorway of the training hall at the Schnee Manor while watching Weiss train with a robotic opponent. She herself has long moved past them, thanks in no small part to bullying her drunken mother into training her personally. That alone had been a small miracle in itself, and had quite possibly been the last good thing Adaliz Schnee ever did before drowning herself in her bathtub, her wrists slashed open almost to the bone and a look of peace in her eyes.

She still misses her deeply.

She and Klein had been the only ones to mourn the Schnee Matriarch openly, much to Father's anger. But she found that she no longer truly cares what he thought, so much so that she has taken to wearing black and grey clothes, as well as going barefoot whenever possible, just to annoy the self important bastard even more. After all, she will be eighteen sooner or later, and the documents her mother left her will be more than enough to dispose of him and allow her to reclaim the company he works hard to ruin.

But for now, her task remains the same: Protect Whitley and do her best to shield Weiss now that Winter abandoned them to escape from his clutches, thus making her the de facto oldest child. A task that is far easier said than done, especially seeing as Weiss's footwork and hands are still not in sync even to her own satisfaction, nevermind the asshole's. She winces as her tail tucks between her legs as once again, the white and blue combat droid puts a squealing Weiss on her ass, Myrtenaster sent flying and skipping across the ground.

"Enough, Weiss." She calls out as she moves forward and helps her twin back to her feet. "Your feet are still not as fast as your hands, sister. You have to learn to let your feet guide you, not the other way around."

Weiss sighs as she looks at the floor, then the ceiling, then a wall. Anywhere but at Willow herself. "That isn't what Father says. He insists I train in his own fashion."

The raven haired girl snorts. "To hell with what he thinks. Unlike his ideas, the Schnee Dueling style is far superior. And I would enjoy teaching you like mother taught me."

"Please don't mention her." The white haired girl whispers. "Father gets so angry when Klein or Chef Zeff mention her. I don't want to get in trouble."

"Oh grow a backbone, Weissy." Willow chastises her firmly as her tail stands up aggressively.. "She existed! Her name is Adaliz, and she is our mother!"

"She's dead Willow! She left us in her weakness!" Weiss yells back at her, her own tail rising in challenge as her ears cock back. "She left us to suffer at his hands!" But Weiss is shocked when her head is rocked back by a sharp slap from her twin, who looks firmly at her.

"Mother suffered more than all of us combined, Weiss." Willow informs her quietly. "Not a single one of us was created by love, or caring, or even a moment of lust, sister. She lived in a hell we have only glimpsed at. A fate I will be damned if any of us suffer as well."

"He scares me, Willow." Weiss admits as she touches her forehead to her twin's for comfort. "I'm not strong like you, nor fearless of his reprisals."

"I'm scared too, Weiss." She admits just as softly. "I may never forgive Winter for abandoning us, even though I understand why. But one of us must stand against him. One of us must still be willing to stand for what Grandfather and Grandmother stood for, and not just to spite him. But because it is right." She stops and sighs. "But we are two sides of the same coin, you and I. You just have to find the strength we both have for yourself."

"I'll try, Willow." Weiss whispers. "That's all I can do."

Willow nods as she smiles sadly. "Even a moment of rebellion is better than being frightened of him. Now, want some help?"

Weiss shakes her head as she slowly breaks contact with her. "No, I mustn't rely on you to carry me. I must at least learn to move my own two feet."

Willow nods and smiles. "Try being barefoot. Get a feel for how you yourself balance before trying to do so in those ridiculous wedged heels you prefer."

Weiss just rolls her eyes. "Not all of us can fight in three inch heels, dolt!"

"I can run wind sprints and uphill in them too, twit." Willow retorts, a smile on her face. "But very well, I will go assist Whitley with his math. His tutor is just as useless as when we had her ourselves."

Weiss sighs. "If it hadn't been for Mother, we never would have passed." She admits as her ears flop down on her head, her tail tucking between her legs. "And I do miss her, sister. I miss her so much it still hurts."

"Be at peace, Weiss. I shall avenge her death and restore our family's good name."

Weiss nods as she gives her twin sister a gentle push. "Go, before Father decides to seek him out to test him." But to her surprise, Willow suddenly engulfs Weiss in a tight hug.

"I love you twit." She mumbles.

Weiss wraps her own arms around her twin. "I love you too dolt. Forgive me my weakness."

"There's nothing to forgive." Willow replies as she breaks the hug. "I have been and shall continue to be strong for the three of us, because I must." She adds as she turns and walks away. But she suddenly stops as she reaches the doors. "And Weiss, I hid something in our normal spot. If anything happens to me, hide it away until you come of age." She declares before leaving. "It holds our freedom."

Weiss watches her go sadly. These small moments between them are so rare now, what with Willow's one woman war against Jacques still raging, as well as her own personal dilemmas, like struggling to hide her developing homosexuality as well as their Father's growing anger over the fact that no matter how hard she works, she is still second best to her older twin sister. Enough, she must work harder at learning to duel as well as Willow, who took to the Schnee fighting style like a natural. Which makes her think: Why not try it herself?

"Droid?" She calls out as she unzips the sides of her boots and stands barefoot on the cold floor. "Load Schnee fighting program one." She orders.

Yes ma'am. Program loaded. The Droid replies as it takes a stance identical to Willow's, right down to it's left foot positioned perfectly ahead of the right. Follow my lead, Miss Weiss.

Weiss nods as she roughly takes the stance with a small smile. She cannot resist Father outright, but perhaps some small rebellions like this will do to show support for Willow and her cause. It's a start at least. And perhaps wearing her long white hair in an off center ponytail? Yes! That alone will drive him demented! Taking a moment to do just that, she reassumes her stance and nods at the Droid.

"Begin!"

She wakes up with a start at the ringing of her scroll, interrupting the surprisingly vivid dream she had been having. A dream she hasn't had in years now.

I miss her so much.

Feeling around, she locates her scroll and checks the caller ID. A smile crosses her lips as she see's Melly's grinning face on it, and she hits the answer button. "Hey, Melly. You know it's like two am here in Vale, right?"

"Yeah, I know. But it's really damned important." The fox faunus replies quietly, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand. Melody Garibaldi is anything but quiet, and could even be heard over the blasting music of the bar next door to the Bear's Den Tattoo Parlor she runs with her husband Aeon. "Weiss, I did something tonight. I may end up dying for it, but I did it for you."

Now she's scared. Melly never calls her Weiss. Never. Even after they found her half dead in the alley, she never called her by her real name. Always some stupid nickname like Barky or Fuzzy, or her personal favorite, Coffee Fiend.

"Weiss, Jaune's dead. I killed him with my sister's shotgun."

There's no way Melody didn't hear the sudden explosion of her brain at the news. "He…. He's dead?" She whispers as she tries to gather herself. If Jaune is really dead, then that means she could….

"Weiss, listen to me. Call Daddy, I'm going to send you his number. I need to vanish for a while, at least until no one cares anymore. He might have been an asshole, but he was a human, and they always protect their own."

"Melly, why?" She interrupts her, her brain finally starting to work. "Why did you do this? I'm not worth all this!" She cries out as she struggles to unwind herself from her thick blanket, grateful she sleeps in her workroom now, leaving the girls in the bedroom.

"You are worth all of this, Weiss. The council heard for themselves the kind of monster he was, the hell he put Ruby through, even the truth of the night he drove you off. He… he even killed my sister, Weiss. He murdered her in cold blood, and almost caused you to die if we hadn't found you. Weiss, this wasn't revenge, this was justice!"

Weiss can't help but stop in shock and surprise, but now her mind is focused on that one moment, the worst moment of her life. And it was a lie?

"Weiss, call Daddy. He can explain everything to you better. He's the only faunus member of the council. I gotta go." Melody declares, breaking her train of thought and causing her to panic.

"Melly wait!" She cries out as she finally frees herself finally and grabs for her shirt, ignoring the bra and panties laid out on top of them. "What do I say?! What do I do?!"

"Tell Daddy the truth. That you had nothing to do with this. He'll help you, I promise. And Weiss?"

She pauses putting on her pants and sighs. "Yes?"

"Take care of yourself, got it?" Melody orders her firmly. "And my adorable nieces, ok?"

Weiss sighs as she leans against the tattoo table, her tail raising a bit to keep clear of the edge. "I will, Melly. I just hope it was worth all this, I really do."

"It was, Coffee Fiend. It was worth every second of smacking him around before I emptied both barrels into his head." She declares with a tone of glee in her voice before hanging up, leaving Weiss in an odd sort of silent reflection. That is, until her scroll dings with a text message. Checking it with a sigh, she grabs a nearby charcoal pencil and jots down the Mistrali prefixed number. Dialing the number, she groans as she gets the notification that her call will take up to two minutes to connect. Putting her pants on, she grabs a fresh pack of cigarettes and a cold Gold Cow Extreme from her minifridge before going outside. She desperately needs to smoke and try to calm down before dealing with the giant faunus and whatever new shocks to her system he has for her...

"Alex, turn off your damned scroll…" Azura Adel mutters as the man himself groans and fumbles for it, while muttering about it being too goddamned early in the morning for the motherfucking piece of shit to be waking them both up.

Finding it, Alex looks at the woman with a slight glare. "Don't you ever go home after sex, woman?" He grumbles as he finally looks at the device, tilting his head slightly as he looks at the unknown number. "What's the 590 prefix again?" He asks his partner as he stalls on answering, a confused look on his face.

She looks at him and snorts. "That's Vale, you giant sex fiend." She smirks at him, her long hair free of its elaborate hair style and framing her still beautiful face, despite being almost fifty years old herself. To Alex though, she was still incredibly gorgeous and amazingly flexible. And Goddess but she has stamina for days. But this also makes him pause and let his mind wander for a moment about her as well.

Neither of them knew when their relationship had even become a relationship. They never interacted before or even during the war, both of them being happily married and in far different circles of life as well. Alex had been Forgemaster of Haven Academy, his wife Kate the dust instructor there as well. Meanwhile Azura and her husband Cacao were the top of the social circle here in Mistral, and the Adel Conglomerate was one of the few major corporations that could compete with the SDC.

But then Kate died in Atlas, a victim of Ruby's vengeance for Weiss when she refused to leave, choosing to die along with her homeland. And Cacao had been murdered by Watts personally, hoping to break Azura's spirit and force the company she ran to back down on its support for the war efforts.

His plan backfired spectacularly.

Azura, in her rage and grief, released the floodgates of her company's greatest inventions, weapons of war, and even their own generous dust stores for the war effort. Mistral had been saved by that error in judgement, and the tide finally began to turn. She had even begun to seek out surviving troops from Atlas, mercenaries from Vacuo, and even quietly began funding the remains of the White Fang through agents and front companies. All to avenge her husband, to defend her own homeland, and bring Watts to justice.

Alex and Azura formally met when the Mountain and his remaining daughter delivered the man personally to her after the final battle at Salem's citadel, still alive and still trying to entice them to free him. Mel had been badly injured, her mangled sword arm still in a sling, while Alex himself had taken several anti aura rounds during the fight against him and Hazel. One that ended with Hazel eating one of his swords, bypassing his semblance terminally. The look on Azura's face was one that he could appreciate as she looked down at Watts, while he himself gave his share of the bounty to Mel. He had something else in mind, and he needed the business woman's help anyway.

To both their surprises, what began as a simple partnership to fund a small graveyard for the fallen had turned into informal lunches, intimate dinners, and eventually them basically living together, either at his modest home, or her own townhouse near the forum. They didn't care what was said, and after four years had figured each other out quite well.

Would they ever replace their spouses? Never. Could they both accept that he was on borrowed time? Yes, and she never onced cared. After all, she already beat breast cancer once, but like any insidious opponent, she was already showing signs of it returning in force. So they both resolved to simply enjoy what time they have left together, even if they couldn't quite agree as to what it actually was.

But enough of that. He needs to answer the phone before they gave up. Calling between continents was difficult enough, with most of the CCT towers still down in heavily disputed areas of Anima and Vale both. Hearing her clear her throat as she glares at him, the Mountain smiles as he looks back at her. "Look who's talking? You showed up at my doorstep this time, remember?" He teases her as he answers the ringing device. "Hello!" He declares as she simply huffs in annoyance while flipping him off, a far cry from the normally collected and composed business woman and councilwoman she allowed the world to see.

"Excuse me for calling so early in the morning, but I need to speak to Alexander Garibaldi." He knows that voice, even as his brain switches from half asleep to highly alert. He's never forgotten that voice, not even after she left to return to Vale. Clearing his throat as he motions for Azura to stay quiet, he focuses on what may be a very difficult conversation indeed.

"You got em. Been ah long while, Sophia. Everything ok?" He asks calmly as Azura moves closer to listen in, pressing her still nude body against his while sneaking a quick kiss to his cheek in as her way to apologise for the uncontrolled reaction from his own.

"No. I just received a call from Melody. She just admitted to doing something extremely foolish on my behalf." She explains. But he can hear the near panic in her voice. "She claims to have killed Jaune Arc tonight."

Alex mutes the phone and looks at Azura. "Better call security and Augustus. Tell em somebody bit, and to get the cover story rolling. Oh, make sure Lisa knows too. See if she'll make the announcement." He asks her calmly. She nods and grabs her own scroll before standing and leaving the room, entering the attached bathroom and closing the door.

Unmuting the phone, he takes a deep breath as he prepares himself mentally for this next part. "Weiss, I want you to listen to me. You are completely safe, I promise. And I'll make sure Melly doesn't get in trouble, ok?" He reassures her quietly as his giant sized wolf's ears swivel, listening out for Azura, who he can hear already speaking. "Hell, technically you're free now darlin. The council's given you and Winter full pardons."

"You did what?!" She screams over the line, making him wince at the volume of the high pitch. "Faunus or not, I refuse to believe you! The only things keeping me safe are secrecy and the fact that the entire world believes me dead!"

"Oh shut it, you white haired loon!" He growls back as he tosses his covers off and rises slowly to his full height, withholding a groan at the aches and pains that come with both his age as well as the battering he took being an older Huntsmen and warrior while fighting on the front lines in a war. "Gimme an address and I'll send ya the papers. Hell, if ya don't believe me, watch the news in ah couple of hours. Trust me, Augustus and I been planning all this for years now. We even brought Azura Adel into it all now too. Hell she's making all the calls." He informs her, even as he grabs for the boxers that somehow ended up hanging over the hilt of his remaining bastard sword, along with Azura's lacy black bra. "You ain't in no more danger, Weiss. You got my word on that. We ain't even gonna give that blonde haired fuckhead a proper funeral. Just a pine box tossed into a deep fucking hole."

"I….. Are you really saying I can have my life back? I can stop hiding?" She asks quietly, the sound of hope entering her voice, making the elder Huntsmen and former General smile.

"That's what I done did said, darlin." He replies as he sits back down while tossing the boxers away. He can always put them on later, and calming the former heiress while reassuring her is far more important. "Sophia can go into the past, and Weiss Schnee can walk tall, with her head held high." He reassures her. "Hell, your brother and his wife are heading that way now with Ruby Rose. Might be a hell of a surprise to see his sister waiting for em both at the docks." He adds the last as a suggestion.

"Ehhhh?! Whitley got married?!" She shrieks again, making him wince. "Why wasn't I told about this?! I would have broken my secrecy to see him finally! To see anyone other than Nora, Blake or Velvet ever again! Even Glynda!"

"Hold up, what do ya mean Nora? As in Nora Valkyrie?!" He asks in astonishment as the huntress's deal with Augustus suddenly makes so much more sense now. The way she insisted on Ruby being exonerated, the way she seemed to be so knowledgeable about so many different things. The fact that she suddenly left Atlas, despite regaining so much ground as of late.

The way she knew just what to expect when they found Willow Schnee in her frozen tomb.

"Yes, Nora Valkyrie you giant dolt!" She yells back at him, shaking him from his thoughts. "She was the one that suggested that I return to Vale after the war during one of her rare visits while I lived with Melly and Aeon. She said it would be safer for me the farther away I could get from Atlas and the council. Hell, she's been one of the only friends I could still count on to keep my secret until Blake and Velvet arrived."

Alex nods as he puts all the pieces together in his head. Yeah, it all makes so much more sense. Her isolation, the fact that she stayed so close to the Schnee Manor. Even the fact that she made sure Jacques Schnee was sent specifically to her after his trial and sentencing. All these years, Nora was still protecting Weiss. First from Ruby, then her father, and finally the world itself. And she knows something, some final, massive secret that she may end up either revealing to Weiss and only Weiss. Or, perhaps to Ruby instead.

"Hello? Alex?" Weiss calls out, getting his attention back. "So what do I do now?"

"You live your life darlin. And anything you need, you just gotta call me, ok?" He replies kindly as he smiles at Azura, who has returned from making her own calls. Noting the tilt of her head, he holds up a finger beckoning her to wait a moment. She nods before grabbing his formal shirt and putting it on, not bothering to button it, but holding it somewhat closed with her arms crossed her chest.

"Thank you, Alex. I… I still can't help but feel like I don't deserve any of this." She admits as Azura moves back to put her ear up to his scroll to overhear. "I haven't been Weiss Schnee in almost fifteen years now. I don't know if I really can be again."

To his surprise, Azura takes the scroll and puts it to her own ear, while he protests with a Hey! "Weiss, this is Azura Adel." She greets the younger woman, who gasps in surprise. "Please, don't hang up. I am firmly on your side, Miss Schnee." She adds soothingly as she sits next to the old wolf faunus, who puts an arm around her shoulders.

"I…. My name is Sophia Wulff!" She protests weakly, while Alex chuckles and rolls his eyes.

"Your name is Weiss Adaliz Schnee. You and my daughter Coco share the same birthday, which is February 14th, but you two are a year apart." She states firmly. "The two of you were friends at Beacon, sharing a common love of fashion, as well as teasing her then girlfriend Velvet Scarlatina." She smiles a bit. "Coco even named her daughter after you, Weiss. And your little copper haired namesake is one of the many joys in my life now."

"Coco really did that?" She asks in a whisper, getting another chuckle from Alex and a smile from her. "I didn't think we were really that close at Beacon." She admits.

"Weiss, my daughter Coco has been mourning your death for at least a decade now. Please, I know this all seems surreal and incredible right now, but this world still has a need for you. Even a certain Rose still needs you. Please just consider my words, dear." She asks calmly as she stands and reaches for her purse, pulling out a clove cigarette and a lighter that she lights while holding the scroll with her shoulder to her ear. Blowing out a cloud of smoke, she smirks as Alex flips her off, his dislike for the expensive cigarette's smell showing as he wrinkles his nose.

"Ruby…. Still needs me? I mean, I know she came by to ask for a tattoo of my rapier on her arm, but I figured she would have moved on like I did. Well, tried to do." She confesses quietly. "But all she did was stir up old feelings, old desires I thought I buried years ago with my name."

Alex takes the phone back as he shushes Azura, who glares at him as she swats at him angrily. "Weiss, that girl sold her soul to the devil trying to find you. And true to my word, all she found at the end of the trail is pain and loss. And Weiss?"

"Yes?" She asks quietly, her voice trembling.

"I broke her Weiss. I know I did. But I had no damned choice." He admits quietly before holding the scroll back to Azura, who pats his arm gently before putting it back to her ear. Taking a quick drag, she blows the smoke out before addressing the wolf faunus on the other end.

"Weiss, is there some part of you that still loves her? Perhaps always will love her?" She asks as Alex sighs. "Because if there is, then that is all the motivation you should need to reclaim your life right there." She points out bluntly."Life is already too short, Weiss. And you've already spent so much of yours in hiding for your father's sins. Sins which even cost both your sisters their lives." She adds the last quietly. "Not many people get the opportunity to reclaim their lives like this."

"I know. Thank you, Mrs. Adel. And thank Alex for me. I have a lot to think about now. Just please, don't punish Melody for this. If anything, I'll take the blame for it, not her." She declares quietly. "It's the least I can do."

"Don't worry about that, Weiss. We already have it all handled." She reassures the wolf faunus woman as she stubs the cigarette out. "Go get some rest, it has to be ungodly early for you."

"It is." She agrees. "But it's the best news I've gotten in years now. Thank you."

Azura smiles as she hears the call end, before looking at Alex. "Weiss Schnee, huh? Did Augustus know?" She asks calmly as her bare foot begins to tap.

He winces, then looks her in the eyes. "Nope. Only me, my daughter, and my son in law. And apparently Nora Valkyrie too." He admits calmly as he grabs her gently by the waist and pulls her willingly into his lap. "I didn't want to involve nobody else, and we were still all reeling from Cinder's trial. So I got the false documents, Melly and Aeon helped her find a new life and a new look, and apparently Nora gave her a place to run to."

The woman smiles as she looks up at him tenderly. "You're a good man, Alexander Garibaldi. You could have turned her in, collected the bounty on her. Instead, you did something noble that could have blown up in your face." She points out, making him shrug.

"My beef was with Jacques, not his kids. I did my damnedest to save Winter from the gallows, but she refused to run. Refused to do anything but face the hangman with her head held high, just to save Weiss and Whitley." He sighs before looking at the woman sadly. "I begged her, Azura. I pleaded with her, but her mind was made up. She honestly wanted the witch hunt to end with her."

She nods as she reaches up to rub behind his wolf's ear gently to soothe him. "Those days are over. Gorri Tanager is helping to set up a meeting with Neon Katt for me. The war is long over, and Jaune's reign of terror is too." This time, it's her turn to look away in shame. "I can't believe he fooled me for so long. I should have listened to you sooner."

Alexander Garibaldi chuckles as he wraps his arms around the woman. "Coulda, shoulda, woulda, but didn't. Don't blame yourself though. Too much happened, too many mistakes got made. Mistakes we all gotta answer for sooner or later."

Azura Adel hums as she looks up at him. "Well, you're by far my favorite mistake, you old mountain." She informs him with a soft smile. "And after all this is said and done, we need to figure out exactly what we are." She adds quietly.

"Shit, I already know that darlin." He grins as he reaches behind a nearby picture of Melody and Aeon and pulls a small black box from behind it. "See, way I'm seeing it, our part in all this is about done now. Soon as you have that pow wow with Neon, we retire and enjoy what time we got left together."

She blinks as she takes the box and opens it, gasping as she sees the engagement ring within. A vision of beauty in its simplicity, it is a pair of white and yellow gold bands twined together, with an aquamarine blue gemstone set in the center. Looking from it to him, she can't help but squeal in delight as she all but glomps him. "YES!" She screams in her delight as she hugs him tightly, getting an oof in response.

"Easy there! You ain't gotta try to kill me afore we get hitched!" He mock grumbles as he hugs her back, just not as tightly. But he can't help but feel a bit melancholic about it. But Nora's advice to Gorri rang true to him as well. And after so many years, it was time for them both to move on too….

She sighs as she looks up at the still star filled early morning sky from her chair outside. Ever since Mel woke her up from the particularly vivid dream of the last time she saw Willow, it's been one shock after another. One more piece of earth shattering news after another. But now that she's had some time to think and process the information, her thoughts have returned to that dream, and her long dead twin.

Willow…. She thinks to herself as she wipes her tears away once again. Why now of all times? Why after so many years was she so heavily on her mind? Guilt, perhaps? Guilt for surviving when she didn't? Or was it something more?

Perhaps the box? But no, that couldn't be it. It should still be well hidden deep within whatever remains of the gardens, in a place she and Willow would once go to enjoy tea with their mother during a rare sober moment, or later when she was still training Willow relentlessly in the family sword style.

A sword style she and her old friend Sarah drove themselves no less relentlessly to learn and master after Willow's death at the hands of that bastard.

"Mommy?" She hears Aqua call out quietly as she opens the door to the small patio. "Are you ok? I heard you crying."

She wipes her eyes as she stands and moves away from the table and the full ashtray on it. "I'm fine, cute stuff." She replies quietly as she scoops her up. "But why are you up so early?"

"I had a bad dream, mommy." She whispers as she snuggles into her, her fingers wrapping gently around her still loose hair.

"I know that feeling." She admits as she sits back down and arranges Aqua a bit more comfortably in her lap, while pushing the ashtray away from her, to keep her from smelling the ashes and butts of her nervous chain-smoking. "I had a sad dream myself." She replies, deciding that she needs to keep some things to herself until she can verify them as fact.

"Why sad?" The little meerkat faunus asks as she looks up at her, concern evident in her eyes.

"Because it was about my twin sister and the last time I saw her alive." She won't lie to her, even if she really should. That is one of the few things she has always agreed with when it came to that bastard and his teachings. Especially with everything that Aqua and Diane have already survived in their short lives. They deserve the truth, even if it causes her herself pain.

"Were you close to her?" Aqua asks as she takes the information that she once had a sister in.

"We were when we were little. But we grew apart a bit as we got older." She explains as she strokes Aqua's blue hair gently. "But I loved her and miss her greatly. She would always say that we are two sides of the same coin." She smiles at that, remembering more and more of the good times at Willow's side, her now steadily beating heart aching for her twin. "But after she died, it feels like a hole in my chest. One that never seems to fill back up."

But it did. Once. Her heart reminds her as it beats a steady, familiar rhythm. It could again, all you have to do is forgive her…..

Aqua simply hugs her tightly as she wipes fresh tears away. "I know how it feels mommy. I miss my mama too." She sniffles softly.

She smiles sadly as she hugs her tightly in return. "I know. I miss both your mothers as well. They were the only friends I had for so long here."

I miss her too. Please? Please go back to her?

"Mommy, you're not going to leave us too are you?" The small meerkat faunus asks after breaking the hug with her.

"Absolutely not, Aqua. You and Diane are my whole world now." Weiss reassures her before kissing her forehead. "And I won't let anything happen to you."

Aqua smiles an adorable gapped tooth smile as she looks up at her. "Love you, mommy!" She declares before hugging her again, with far more enthusiasm this time than before.

She hugs the little girl back as she feels her heart beat just that little bit harder. "I love you too, cute stuff." She replies quietly as she hears the tri vid turn on in the center area. "Sounds like Auntie Blake is up."

The blue haired girl giggles. "Eating her morning can of tuna and watching the news." She adds.

She giggles as she puts Aqua down and stands. "Come along, I need coffee before I clean up and get ready to open."

"And pancakes!" Aqua declares happily as she pumps a fist in the air. "Ooo ooo, and lots of tofu bacon!"

"Ugh! How can you eat that stuff?!" She questions as she leaves her scroll on the table for now and opens the door, the smell of the tuna reaching her sensitive nose. "It tastes awful!"

"I don't eat meat, you eater of unborn chickens!" Aqua counters in a huff as she folds her arms across her chest.

"They're eggs! There's no baby chickens in eggs!"

"Cause you keep eating them before they can hatch!"

She opens her mouth, just to close it again. "Touché." She concedes the point grudgingly, even though she herself knows better. But, better to allow Aqua this small victory instead of getting dragged into another long, drawn out debate over her own carnivorous tendencies versus the younger girl's vegetarian upbringing. "Let's go eat, cutey."

"Okie dokie!"

Good morning Vale! I'm Theresa Verde, and this is your morning report! The entirely too chipper news woman on the tri vid chirps out, getting a groan from her and Aqua both. She was universally hated by the not morning people viewers of Vale for being so bright and perky, especially the students of Vale's various schools. Her annoying way of being a virtual green haired cheerleader for the school district's announcements has earned her a special nickname: The Killjoy Cheerleader.

"In today's top stories, major shakeups occurred during the Grand Council meeting in Mistral yesterday have left the world wondering just what is happening with the Central Government. For more, we turn to our special correspondent, Lisa Lavender, once again the pride of WVTV. Lisa?"

Weiss stops for a moment and looks curiously at Blake, who is sitting at the shared dining table in the center apartment drinking her morning cup of tea and eating directly from a can of tuna. The cat faunus and leader of the Valian White Fang has so far not shown a single bit of interest in the news woman, whom she considered a vapid, empty headed human. Smiling, she motions for Aqua to sit down at the table while she herself walks quickly back into the shop to turn on her coffee machine, while the loading screen for the station is shown, the connection to Mistral still pending.

"Auntie Blake, your tuna stinks." Aqua declares with a huff from the table, getting a giggle from the white wolf.

"Shhhh, silence Aqua." Blake hisses back. "My co-leader in Mistral called me at like three am and told me to listen to the news this morning." Blake silences the meerkat faunus who glares back in return as she breathes through her mouth while pinching her nose shut.

Walking back with her coffee, she sits next to Blake and nudges her. "Don't be mean to the veggie eater, kitten. She's only six."

The cat faunus growls. "Then tell her to stop giving me grief over my tuna!" She declares angrily, getting one of her cutting glares in response.

"Oooo oooo, it's starting!" Aqua declares as she points to the tri vid, where the wait screen has been replaced with a tired looking Lisa Lavender sitting behind an anchor's desk. But what catches both women's attention is the smile on her face. It isn't the fake smile of a seasoned newswoman, but the genuine smile of someone who is relishing the words she is about to speak.

"Good morning, Vale. My name is Lisa Lavender, and I have an important announcement to make." She begins as she folds her hands on the desktop. "For those of you that were unaware, High Councilor Jaune Arc was tried yesterday for crimes against former General Ruby Rose, as well as crimes against her deceased lover, Frauline Weiss Schnee. Thanks to evidence presented by the High Inquisitor, Sapphire Tanager, as well as Herr Klein Seiben, as well as his own damning words when confronted by his former teammate, Senior Huntress Nora Valkyrie, High Councilor Arc was found guilty of all the charges brought against him, as well as also being accused of the murder of Melissa Tanager, the inquisitor's daughter in law, a crime he was also found guilty of during the proceedings."

Blake looks at her and blinks, while she herself simply watches impassively. They were telling the truth. She thinks to herself as she sips her coffee slowly. So far anyway.

But her ears perk up as Lisa continues after a short pause. "However, justice was also denied as now former Councilor Arc committed suicide last night while still pinned to the council podium. As proof, we shall now present the photographic evidence. We caution all our current viewers that the following photo is graphic in nature, and that discretion is highly advised.

She didn't even have to say a single word to Aqua, who already had her eyes closed as well as covered. But the image being shown is indeed as graphic as Lisa warned. Not much is left of Jaune's head, perhaps a few bits and pieces. Brain matter, bone and viscera are splattered everywhere, but to anyone familiar with violence, they would know bullshit when they see it. Jaune Arc hadn't committed suicide, he had been executed in cold blood. But she herself doubts a single soul would even care at this point.

He was really and truly dead. Killed for his crimes against Ruby, against Melissa, against herself. Especially against herself. And she has no tears to shed for the bastard.

"Again, former High Councilman Jaune Arc was found dead this morning in the council's chambers of an apparent suicide." Lisa continues once the image is removed, but the vindictive tone in her voice gives away her obvious delight at the news she is now relishing herself over and over in her mind. "The council has now also ordered the full and unconditional pardons of the late Atlesian Colonel Winter Schnee, who was wrongly executed for crimes against the faunus, Frauline Weiss Schnee, falsely accused of crimes against the faunus, and General Ruby Rose herself, due to the proven illegal use of an enslavement collar by Jaune Arc." The screen now begins to slowly change, showing actual physical declarations of the pardons, as well as an image she knows all too well, that of that thrice damned collar forced on her by her own father to bring her to heel.

She blinks as Blake slowly rises, her scroll suddenly going insane as she begins to get text message after text message. No doubt from the White Fang troops under her command. But her own mind is suddenly crystal clear as she recalls that fateful night. Had Ruby really been wearing it? Blake and Aqua both wince at the sound of her coffee cup hitting the table, spilling it's liquid contents all over the cheap laminate surface. But she realizes that one small piece she missed, that one glance she had ignored all those terrible years ago as her mind all but focuses on Ruby's neck.

She really had been wearing it. Oh goddess, she never even realized it, but Ruby really had been wearing that cursed collar. Oh Goddess forgive me….

"Weiss!" She nearly yelps at Blake yelling her name, her best friend pumping her fists in the air in her excitement. "Weiss! You're free! The council's given you and Winter both full pardons! You can take your life back!" She cheers, causing Velvet to emerge from their own bedroom, a sleeping Jet in her arms.

"Oi! What's with all the noise?" She asks demandingly before yawning widely. "Sounds like a bloody party out here at six in the fucking morning!"

"Jaune's dead! Jaune's dead and the council's given Weiss a full pardon!" Blake cheers once more before pulling the surprised white wolf out of her chair and spinning her around much like Yang used to whenever they all passed a test.

Yang….. She can finally go visit the brute openly and knock some sense into the former brawler. She can go help her long lost friend come back to herself….

Velvet herself begins to smile as Jet grumbles and yawns. "That's fantastic news, loves! We can finally quit calling you Sophia out in public and everything now!" She declares happily as she pulls her free of the excited panther faunus and hugs her tightly, ignoring the squealing protests of the small child stuck between them.

"You're squishing me!" Jet shrieks as she struggles to free herself. "Lemme go!"

But all she can feel is a small piece of something igniting in her powerfully beating heart once more. Something Sophie Wulff thought long dead and buried as Lisa Lavender continues unheard. She can feel Weiss truly stirring back to life again, for the first time in over a decade. All because Jaune is dead, and Ruby being exonerated.

"Shhhh shhhh shhhh!" Velvet hushes Blake and her celebrating, while releasing the younger panther Faunus, who is hissing and spitting in her annoyance and anger while scrambling away quickly to hide behind Aqua's chair. "Listen!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, as I stated a moment ago, evidence was also presented at his trial proving Jaune Arc's blatant manipulation of General Ruby Rose via the use of an illegal faunus shock collar. That same collar was verified by several witnesses as the same one used on Frauline Weiss Schnee during what we have now learned as being a year of almost hellish captivity at the hands of her father, Herr Jacques Schnee. Herr Klein Sieben, who came to speak on behalf of Frauline Schnee was blunt during his part of his testimony, to the point where even I myself was horrified by his details of a single month of her captivity." Lisa pauses for a moment to gather herself, obviously still shaken.

She can feel their eyes on her at that declaration, while her mind was once again a storm of emotions. She never spoke of that year. Not to Ruby after the rescue, not to Melly and Aeon during her convalescence, and not to anyone here. She lived in her own hell during that single year, full of abuse, torture, pain and agony.

Only Nora knew, having gotten her obliteratedly drunk on the eve of Jacques Schnee's trial. She had broken to the ginger haired warrior as she sobbed, raged, and trembled in pure terror. Only Nora knew everything that happened to her, and she swore to never speak of it to anyone. That it was her secret to take to the grave.

"It has been an honor to be given this opportunity to inform my fellow Valians the truth behind so much suffering, so much pain, and to inform you all that justice has been served." She continues on as the apartment remains silent. "Jaune Arc is dead, and I beg you all to finally let go of the grievances of the past, the pains and bad blood. We, whether human or faunus, must join together and work towards a brighter tomorrow for the next generation." She can't help but note that Lisa has hope, real hope in her eyes as well as her voice. Something that has been sorely missing in the world for over a decade. "For WVTV, this is Lisa Lavender, signing off for the last time. Good luck to all of you, and may the Goddesses Three bless us all."

Could all this be real? Is the thought that now keeps swirling in her mind as Blake and Velvet approach her slowly, their concern for her as plain as day. So much has changed just this morning alone. Ever since Melly woke her up from a vivid dream about Willow, it's been one startling new piece of information after another.

"Weiss?" Blake asks softly. "Are you ok, Snowy?" She asks while using her old nickname from their school days.

She looks up at her, her blue eyes glistening. "You called me Snowy…" Her voice drifts off. "They weren't lying to me."

"Who wasn't lying, love?" Velvet asks quietly as she sits next to her, her hand moving to her ear to rub it gently, mindful of the scars behind them.

"Alex and Azura Adel. I talked to them early this morning." She admits. "After Melly called me and told me she killed Jaune."

Velvet hums as she looks thoughtful, while still rubbing her ears softly. "So they covered up the murder? Especially since a faunus did it?"

"And not just a faunus, but the daughter of a Councilor." Blake points out as she starts to clean up the mess on the table from where she spilled her coffee. "Probably the only reason they did it too."

"No." Weiss snaps. "Alex was honest with me. He said that him and Augustus Nikos have been planning this for a while now."

Blake pauses at that new bit of information. "Alex isn't a liar. He's dealt with us honestly, even if he doesn't support us." She finally admits before walking off with the dirty, coffee filled towels.

Velvet nods in agreement. "And it's a public fact that old man Nikos loathes Jaune. Loathed Jaune." She corrects herself. "Kinda expected him to be the one to pull the trigger himself."

Weiss sighs. "Instead, it was a woman who treated me like family. I wish she never did it, even though I understand why." She states firmly.

Blake nods as she returns with a fresh cup of coffee for her, setting it down gently in front of her. "Enough of all of this. What's the plan, Weiss?" She asks calmly as she sits back down and pulls a now calm Jet into her lap.

She shrugs. "I dunno. This has been a lot to take in all at once. I mean, my life just changed enormously in the span of twenty four hours. Again!" She blinks as she realizes just what she said. "Again. My life just got turned upside down again. And I don't understand why. Why me?"

"I don't know love." Velvet admits as a sleepy Kali crawls into her lap and cuddles up to her with a yawn. "Maybe you were meant to go through all this?" She offers. Seeing Weiss about to protest, she raises a hand. "Hear me out, ok?"

She sighs but nods. "Fine." She replies as Aqua climbs into her own lap and settles in. "Why was I meant to live my life as it was?"

Velvet looks at Blake, who nods once before looking back at her and clearing her throat. "The war was hell on Earth, Weiss." She begins. "You see me, and I was clawed barely six months in. It almost killed me when this happened, and it broke my team apart."

Blake nods as she sips at her tea and wrinkles her nose at the now cold beverage. "Weiss, you weren't there when Cinder Fall burned Menagerie to the ground. She didn't spare a soul either. She didn't care if you were old, young, man, or woman. She put the island to the torch."

Velvet's face takes on a look of sadness. "I haven't seen my sister Sasha since I put her on one of the escape ships. She was the only one I could even find." She adds as she hugs Kali. "And Neptune…."

Weiss holds up her hand. "Stop. I know all this. Sun did live here in Vale for a while." She reminds them. "I did a tattoo for him as well. One to remember Neptune by." She adds quietly. "But it doesn't change how I feel. It doesn't change the fact that…."

"That?" Blake asks calmly as she cuts a sidelong glance towards Velvet, who shrugs.

"I want my life back." She declares as she looks at them both. "I WANT to be Weiss again. Not the huntress in training, not the heiress to a company that is dead and gone, just Weiss."

Both women blink in surprise at her sudden declaration. "Weiss, Blake and I are excited and all for you, but…" Velvet begins, only to get cut off.

"I want to be the woman I was. The one who learned to make friends with others, the one who calls a tuna eating, book reading, ninja panther her best friend." She smiles as she looks at Blake, who smiles back.

"Always, Snowy. You know I'll always have your back."

"I want to be the person who used to tease a photo happy, copycatting, dating the biggest bitch in school's friend again." She continues, making Velvet blush.

Velvet giggles. "I still owe you for a few of those. And you're past due for payback."

Weiss's smiles falters as she looks down at Aqua, who is staring back at her. "And…. I want Ruby back." She adds quietly. "I know what life with that cursed collar was like. And Alex admitted he had to lie to her."

Before she can say another word, Blake snorts as she stands and sets Jet down in her chair. "Are you kidding, Weiss?! She betrayed us! She betrayed us to Fall!" She yells as she leans against the table. "And for what? Safety? Protection from Jaune?" She begins to growl as her tail begins to wave dangerously. "Big fat lot of good that did her! And she suffered? Bullshit! She couldn't have had it nearly as bad as the Faunus!"

"Exactly!" Her rabbit faunus wife adds angrily as she stands as well, Kali put down on her own chair and a dangerous gleam in her eyes. "Just because Jaune forced her to do all sorts of dirty shit during the war doesn't mean we can't forget what she did after!"

"I'm aware of this." Weiss answers them back entirely too calmly. "I was still in Mistral during all the trials. During all the witch hunts that occurred for anyone and everyone even remotely associated with Salem and Cinder Fall. Granted," She pauses as she alternates her disappointed look between them. "Where was the White Fang while I was living on the streets?" She asks bluntly before snapping her fingers. "Oh that's right, you lot were too busy demanding this, that or the other while the average faunus was still suffering." She turns a stern look at Blake. "How did that work out for all of you, kitten? Making any real headway yet?"

Blake huffs as she glares back at the white wolf faunus, despite the truth of her words. "You can't really expect us to trust her just like that, can you Weiss?!"

"No, I do not." She cuts in, her blue eyes turning fridged in her repressed anger. "But please, continue. I'll let you know when you cross the line."

Despite Velvet grabbing her arm, despite both the girls now tugging on her shirt while asking her to stop, Blake Belladonna's temper was truly ignited. And she was ignoring a very obvious warning sign, and that is of her best friend letting her stick her foot deeper into her mouth. "Just because Jaune was tugging her leash doesn't mean she didn't have a single choice! She wasn't even wearing that so called enslavement collar when she defended that bitch!"

The woman who calmly puts her daughter down next to her chair isn't the laid back tattoo artist they have come to accept as the pale imitation of the woman they knew. Velvet begins to tremble as she feels a long dormant power begins to awaken, the white wolf's aura flaring to full life for the first time in over a decade now at least. And Velvet Scarlatina-Belladonna is not a fool, not at all. Weiss Schnee is awake again. Awake and ready to reclaim the life she lost so long ago. And especially ready to reclaim the love of her life, her mate, her world for that bittersweet year in Beacon.

"Are you quite done?" Weiss asks calmly as she looks up at the enraged panther faunus, her tail raised aggressively as her ears remain up in challenge. Before Blake can even take a moment to form a response, Weiss's hand comes across her face so powerfully that her head snaps to the side.

Or as Yang used to call it, Weiss just slapped the schneet out of you.

Blake Belladonna slowly brings her head back around, a look of rage on her features as she rubs the spot where Weiss slapped her. But before a single word is spoken, she takes an involuntary step back at the long missing, yet unforgotten fire in Weiss's eyes. A fire that has been sorely missed by the woman. "That collar is the tool of an evil man, Blake Belladonna. The single year I wore that color was one filled with only pain, misery, and unspeakable horrors."

Blake actually gulps as Weiss begins to approach her slowly, her rage visibly building along with the sheer force of her aura. For the first time since she defeated Adam and her demons, she begins to look for a way out. Some way to run from the gathering force of nature that is Weiss. But she's trapped, both by her own terror at the other woman's rage, as well as that small voice inside of her that is pointing out that she brought this on herself.

"Velvet, take the kids out of here." Weiss orders coldly as she moves to stand toe to toe with terrified faunus woman. "Now." Velvet wastes no words, instead gathering the three children up and hustling them into Nora's third of the apartment, closing them securely in the small playroom she made for them before turning back to listen.

"Want to know what my father did to me while I was trapped in his prison for three hundred and sixty eight long days and nights?" Weiss asks Blake coldly. "Let me give you the short version. During the day, he would shock me, force me to my knees to beg for scraps off his plate, and beat me whenever I found the strength to resist him. And those moments were few and far between." Her glare turns even more glacial. "And at night? Oh my nights were filled with my screaming as my father paid only the finest in re-educational specialists to cure me of my sexual disease. To cure me of being gay by forcing themselves on me. I still can't even use a simple toy to this day, I'm still so traumatized. I still have nightmares that keep me up at night, and it's been almost fifteen years now."

But Weiss never moves her eyes away from Blake's, even as tears of pain begin to well up in her ice blue eyes. "And Ruby wore it for longer than that? No. No, Jaune didn't hold just a leash, Jaune held her in a hell that cannot be given mere words. As long as she wore that collar…." She pauses, searching for the proper words. Finding them, she looks at her best friend with pain filled eyes, the same pain reflected back in her own.

"I would wager that the children Ruby bore Jaune Arc are not the product of a consensual act." She declares quietly. "Something we both now know, Blake. Both of us. And I for one will always feel so dirty, so tainted by those men my father hired. I…." She doesn't have a chance to say another word as she gets pulled into a tight hug by the panther faunus.

"Goddess, Weiss. I never would wish that on anyone. Never. There's no one who deserves that." She whispers into the shorter woman's ear. "It still hurts. Even after all these years, Weiss. It never goes away."

"Blake, we all were once friends." Velvet states calmly as she re-enters the room quietly and joins the hug. "Maybe… maybe it's really time to let things go. Start over?"

Blake Belladonna nods as she hugs Weiss tightly. "Not yet. Not until I get some answers from Ruby first. I'm not as ready to forgive her just like that."

Weiss pulls back to look at her again. "Just because my real name is forgiven doesn't mean I'm quite ready to reclaim it yet. There's still a few things I myself need to do first."

Both women raise an eyebrow at that. "Like what?" Blake asks.

Weiss smiles. "I have a tattoo to finish first. But not the one she wants." She replies mysteriously before returning to hugging her two old friends, her tail now wagging a mile a minute in her happiness.

Blake and Velvet look at each other and smile, having the same thought. "It's good to have Weiss back…."


End file.
